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Social Enterprise

Our mission is…

  • To provide the alpacas and llamas in our care with the best possible lives and the utmost care.
  • To offer a welcoming new home for life, for unwanted alpacas and llamas from all over the UK.
  • To provide people with hugely enjoyable and unique alpaca experiences that are accessible to all.
  • To immerse our guests in the beauty of the Lake District World Heritage Site and to introduce the mental and physical benefits of time spent in nature and outdoor activities to a new generation of diverse visitors.
  • To share our knowledge about a fascinating species.
  • To be an innovative and environmentally conscious enterprise.
  • To design and make delightful, ethical and sustainable products that promote
    alpacas and their yarn.

 

We have set up our award winning non-profit company (specifically a Community Interest Company) to make best use of our skills, and do something positive and innovative with the land where we live, bringing visitors in touch with the landscape and natural world in an enjoyable, engaging and therapeutic way. We aim to make the experiences accessible to all, adapting our approach as necessary, providing everyone with an inspiring and memorable experience and an opportunity to connect with nature in a way that contributes to their wellbeing. Trading income from our activities helps the Company to deliver its social aims and purpose, enabling it to offer heavily subsidised or free, access to its activities to charities, social enterprises and other third sector organisations.

The Company has worked directly with a range of organisations during its first three years, including; One in a Million Bradford, Cumbria County Council Foster Care Service, Friends of Chernobyl’s Children, Keswick Youth Club, Eden Valley Hospice, Barrow Blind Society, Launchpad Vereran Charity, Headway North Cumbria, Always Another Way, Amy’s Care, Carlisle Mencap, Young Adult Respite Services and Northern Care Coordination Partnership Walking With The Wounded. We also work with Cumbria Partnership NHS to provide free wellness walks every month through NHS social prescription.

The Benefits

Alpacas and llamas are wonderful animals to spend time with. They work particularly well with children and vulnerable
adults due to their calm, curious nature, individual and humorous personalities and of course their appealing appearance!
Spending time with them:

  • Reduces stress and provides a respite from day-to-day ongoing concerns.
  • Improves empathy as we learn to understand the needs of another being.
  • Improves impulse control by highlighting the need to be aware of our behaviour, it’s affects, and how to adapt ourselves accordingly.
  • Builds trust and confidence – camelids respond to calm, confident interaction with humans and to see this affect in action helps foster self-esteem.
  • Reconnects humans with nature in an accessible way, that attracts groups who would not otherwise be attracted to outdoor activities.
  • Promotes physical exercise among groups that would not ordinarily be enthusiastic about it, and acts as a catalyst for positive change.
  • Facilitates walking as therapy, allowing conversations to flow that can be difficult in more formal settings.

Donate an Experience

If you are a school, organisation, charity or social enterprise and you are interested in what we do please contact us for more information about how we could work with you :) To read more about how great these experiences are, read our Woolly Army Bulletin story from Y.A.R.S who came to visit us in 2020, blog HERE.

Our Videos

Once upon a time in the land of the lakes, we took a group of young people from inner city Manchester on an epic adventure to the top of Catbells with our Llama boys! The kids come from “Keep Youth Work Alive” run by John, who started the group when all of the Beswick local Youth Groups shut down.

John does amazing work with the kids & we hope we have given them a day to remember!

Thanks to your amazing donations and bookings, this month we were delighted to welcome back South Workington Youth Partnership to come and walk our Alpacas at Whinlatter Forest! They were all absolute naturals and we hope the team had a lovely visit and will come back soon :)

Remember guys, we wouldn’t be able to run these trips without all of your wonderful support & donations and bookings so thank you so much for being a part of The Woolly Army!

In September we had the pleasure of taking a group from Calderwood House up to the Hawes Gate viewpoint of Catbells with our Llamas trekking boys!

https://calderwoodhouse.co.uk is an emergency short stay accommodation which offers help to veterans and those struggling with homelessness. They do amazing work there, and we are so glad that we could give some of the residents and staff a day to remember :)

Remember guys, we wouldn’t be able to run these trips without all of your wonderful support & donations and bookings so thank you so much for being a part of The Woolly Army!

Donation

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