One of my last activities as international officer was to visit De Schaapskooi in Schijndel, https://www.schaapskooischijndel.nl/. The secretary of the Schaapskooi foundation was interested in the IFA activities and I decided to visit her. Naturally, with some Felt Matters magazines in my pocket.
The Schaapskooi is a foundation run by volunteers. It is home to several Dutch sheep breeds and when I was there, 85 lambs had already been born. You can take a walk with the sheep herd and there are educational programmes for all ages, about the plants and animals that live in and around the Sheepfold. Of course feltmaking is one of the activities.
In addition, there is a group of volunteers active, united in the organisation “Goudeerlijk Brabant”, which puts wool in the spotlight, as wool is a natural, valuable and sustainable product and it is a shame that wool is often considered residual waste nowadays. They process wool into products that are sold.
After the tour, I told about the IFA and our activities. It was a valuable visit, both for my hostess and for me.
Article by Henny van Tussenbroek International Officer