Milky Joe on ITV News 2017
Alpacaly Ever After’s little star, Milky Joe, makes the big time on ITV Border News..
(also featuring two cameos by some very embarrassed alpaca owners!)
Press & PR
Resettled Refugees Meet The Woolly Army
Last month we had the pleasure of welcoming 30 resettled refugees to our new site at Basecamp North Lakes to hang out with #TheWoollyArmy through a Meet The Alpacas session where they got to feed and interact with the herd here, including the babies!
The Minutes for Miles programme enables resettled refugees (who have fled war zones in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq) to pass their UK driving tests, ultimately helping them secure employment and establishing themselves in Cumbria’s community. They are doing an awesome job and we were absolutely delighted to get involved.
We really wouldn’t be able to do this without your amazing support guys, wether it’s from booking an experience, making a donation or supporting us on social media. Thank you ❤️
The News & Star did a lovely write up about the whole experience which you can read here! 👉 https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/23082621.resettled-refugees-meet-woolly-army-alpacaly-ever/
Bastille Came To Visit Us!
So proud that the awesome @bastilledan came to walk with #TheWoollyArmy today ☺️🙌💪 we hope we see them again soon! #bastille
Echo & Rocksteady's Music Video!
Our boys Echo and Rocksteady have just starred in their very first music video people! Thank you so much to the lovely Memorial and their team for featuring us – hope you enjoyed your time with #TheWoollyArmy
Let us know what you think guys?!
Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father
So guys…erm…we’re only on Netflix!!!! 😳🙃🤯😂😂😂😂🥳 Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father. (Dopey sends his best to his good friend Michael, and George would like to point out that he takes no responsibility for the fake llama noises!😂)
Chris and Meg's Wild Summer BBCiplayer
A HUGE thank you to the Legends that are Chris Packham and Megan Mccubbin for taking our boys Danny and Ziggy for a paddle in the lake with Chris and Meg’s Wild Summer ☺️🧡🌊 If you missed us on BBC2 lon the 12th September 2021 you can catch us on @bbciplayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000zqx1 Hope we see you both again soon!! 🙌 🦙🦙
Best Of The Best Two Years Running!!
Erm guess who is in the top 10% of attractions in The Whole Of The World for the second year running? 😳😬 It was an accident we promise!! 😂 Thank you SO much to all you lovely humans who have written Tripadvisor reviews for us this year we couldn’t do any of this without your support and #TheWoollyArmy salutes you ✊🧡
Read all about it in a lovely article from Lancashire Life https://www.lancs.live/news/local-news/lake-district-alpaca-farm-ranked-21443647 💪 🙌
Unilad came to hang out with us in 2019
*Cheeky Flashback and Highlight**
The team from Unilad got in touch, they wanted to include Alpacaly Ever After in their 48 Hours in the Lake District.
“A breathtaking sunset with your new furry walking buddy” too right, we agreed!
Unilad feature on The Man Himself!
The awesome team at Unilad came back to visit for a Full Day Llama Trekking Adventure! In between admiring the stunning views of the Newlands Valley as well as their intrepid new llama buddies, they managed to ask Terry all about his days serving in the Army, his exploits and origins as one of the founding members of #TheWoollyArmy as well as the physical and mental benefits of walking with alpacas & llamas.
“I work seven days a week meeting lovely people and looking after amazing animals. It doesn’t feel like a job it feels like a privilege. It has given me a sense of purpose and the knowledge that I am doing something useful, from the animals we are caring for to the humans who are benefitting from the experiences every day.”
Thank you so much Emily at Unilad for the feature, we can’t wait to have you back again :)
Read the Full Article HERE
No.1 of the 12 Weird and Wonderful in the Evening Standard
Rosie got in touch and asked if we wanted to be featured in the Evening Standards…
12 weird and wonderful May half-term holiday staycations around the UK
School’s nearly out, so it’s time to whisk the kids (and yourself) off on a fun-filled great British escape.
From wild woodland adventures and treehouse stays to making alpaca pals in the Lake District and fishing for carp in Devon, here are the weird and wonderful ways to spend this half-term break.
Set to the backdrop of the stunning Lake District, Alpacaly Ever After at Whinlatter Forest in Cumbria (pictured at the top) is a site dedicated to rehoming alpacas and llamas from around the country. Take a trail through the mountain forest (from £35 for a mixed group walk with one alpaca per person), before retreating to a self-catering lakeside cottage at nearby Lingholm Estate (above) for yet more serene views.
Read the Full Article HERE
The Guardian... feature in April 2021
Our Alpaca Walking and Llama Trekking activities were mentioned in Sarah Johnson’s April 2021 article in The Guardian.
We were 1 of a few similar businesses featured, one of our Directors, Emma said this about us…
“We get fully booked really quickly,” she said, adding that they are now booking into 2022. “It has taken off. People are beginning to understand that time in nature is vital.” Emma Smalley has noticed new businesses offering alpaca walks in the area and receives many requests from people interested in doing it for themselves.
Full Article HERE
Social Entrepreneurs 'Highly Commended' in 2021
After a very tricky year in 2020, Emma and Terry were so pleased to have this award at the start of 2021. Not only have they navigated our way through an unprecedented time but they have employed new staff, introduced more alpacas, trained up llamas, added new products to our website and increased our available activities to our Woolly Army offerings for 2021 and beyond!
Getting this acknowledgment from Social Enterprise Cumbria is another great addition to 2021’s achievements…
“This award is given to two people whose complimentary skills and personalities have successfully combined in the creation and development”
SE Cumbria website: https://secumbria.org
Get your kicks on the A66 - Audi Campaign featuring Us! 2021
James and Alex from Audi came to visit us as part of a campaign feature Audi UK were doing for the A66. The A66 is one of our main roads that runs through Cumbria.
The A66 in Cumbria The A66 passes Brough The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria.
They met Ruby at The Lingholm Estate, interviewed her and met some of our Alpaca boys who are located here.
Read the whole article HERE
Alpacaly Ever After 'starts 2021 off' for Keswick
We were very proud to be the first feature on the Keswick Tourism Association calendar for 2021… with our image of llamas on Catbells starring on all their social media channels and their downloadable desktop e-calendar.
Eco-friendly Christmas Market with Natural Cumbria 2020
After what can only be described as a ‘tricky year’ when Natural Cumbria invited us to be a part of their Eco-friendly Virtual Christmas Market in 2020, we said yes. We were already members and really loved what Natural Cumbria was doing and offering small businesses, like ours. Full News and Star article HERE.
“What we are trying to do is get people away from massive companies to support local communities,” said Holly.
“If we don’t support communities, there is not going to be a community left”
More on our Welfare and Ethics HERE.
Moody and Phoenix on the Antiques Road Trip
The team from Antiques Road Trip got in touch earlier this year and said they were going to be in the Lake District and would we like to be featured. We said yes, obviously!
A time and date were set and our boys were primed and ready to go at The Lingholm Estate. Margie Cooper and Natasha Raskin Sharp turned up with a collection of lights, cameras and got into the action with Moody and Phoenix. Our boys make their debut appearance at around 16.38, we’re so proud of them!
And we got a special thanks in the Credits at the end… click HERE to watch our Episode – Series 21, Episode 8 :)
'the brilliantly popular Alpacaly Ever After’ News & Star Oct, 2020
One of our local schools, Lorton, got in touch to get help for their 2020 fundraising. Normally they organise events throughout the year but 2020 has presented them with some challenges. So they did what we have all had to do, they’ve gone on line. On October 16th they hosted an online live quiz and raffle and we very proudly donated a prize.
Local paper, the News & Star, did an article on the event and we got a lovely mention for our support… ‘There’s even something for animal lovers, as the brilliantly popular Alpacaly Ever After – with four locations across Keswick – has donated a meet-and-greet with the furry friends as a prize for one lucky raffle winner.’
Read the full article HERE
Our leg Llama Drama with Adventurer Anna McNuff Aug20
Adventurer Anna McNuff got in touch and asked if she could get a photo of our legs for the cover of her next book… we were confused, turns out it was a pair of our llama legs, we said yes!
Anna McNuff is an adventurer, speaker, author and mischief maker. Named by The Guardian as one of the top female adventurers of our time, Condé Nast Traveller included her in a list of the 50 most influential travellers in the world. She is also the UK ambassador for Girl Guiding.
Her latest book, featuring the legs of Raine (one of our llama girls) is…
Llama Drama: A two-woman, 5,500-mile cycling adventure through South America
She even gave us our very own copy and two extra copies to giveaway as a prize to 2 of our lucky Woolly Army recruits!
TripAdvisor 'Best of Britain' 2020
We got in the top 25 ‘Best of Britain’ for TripAdvisor. Up there with all the big boys from the City like Buckingham Place, Covent Garden and Tower Bridge, then little ol’ fluffy us!
We made a video, naturally…
Alpacaly Ever After has been recognised as a 2020 Travellers’ Choice award-winner for Best Activity. Based on a full year of Tripadvisor reviews, prior to any changes caused by the pandemic, award winners are known for consistently receiving great traveller feedback, placing them in the top 10% of hospitality businesses around the globe.
“As a small social enterprise we are so proud to have won this award! We can’t thank our visitors and staff enough for their passion and commitment to the work we do. We re-home alpacas and llamas from all over the uk and our mission is to give our herd the best possible home for life, while giving back to our community. As a non-profit we support 3rd Sector Organisations alongside our visitors from all over the world, bringing them in touch with the landscape and natural world in an enjoyable, engaging and therapeutic way. We aim to make the experiences accessible to all, and provide everyone with an inspiring and memorable experience!”
“Winners of the 2020 Travellers’ Choice Awards should be proud of this distinguished recognition,” said Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor. “Although it’s been a challenging year for travel and hospitality, we want to celebrate our partners’ achievements. Award winners are beloved for their exceptional service and quality. Not only are these winners well deserving, they are also a great source of inspiration for travellers as the world begins to venture out again.”
To see traveller reviews and popular activities of Alpacaly Ever After, visit HERE
Great collab' with Chewy Moon July 2020
“Are you a big fan of adorable woolly animals? Then you probably share an affinity for Alpacas, which means you’re going to LOVE @alpacalyeverafter”
About ChewyMoon
On planet ChewyMoon, an incredible race of alien superheroes – the Moonas – power up with healthy foods to fuel their missions. Now, they’re bringing nutritious boxes of tasty snacks to the supermarkets of Earth – and to your door!
Discover the story of ChewyMoon
Link to Chewy Moon website HERE
We're on the Bucket List for Roadchef July 2020
The Great British Bucket List for Roadchef now features US! Roadchef is a Motorway Service Station Company that we have all experienced at some point in our travelling lives and we were proud to be approached and featured in their ‘Bucket List’ of things to do…
View the whole PDF HERE
Go on a Llama Trek – Lake District
Keswick Tourism Association Campaign July 2020
As members of the Keswick Tourism Association we were invited to be a part of their ‘Visit Keswick Campaign’ in July 2020.
This campaign was run to encourage a return Keswick, after Covid-19, giving all businesses an opportunity to detail their new policies and procedures designed to keep people safe when visiting.
We were featured in their Facebook Advertising, link HERE
Feature in Autotrader July 2020
Autotrader got in contact and asked if we were happy to be featured in their ‘Weekend in the Lake District’ Guide, link HERE. We said YES!
The Lakes Distillery produces whiskey, gin and vodka, they offer tours of the site where you can learn about the process of making these drinks. The site is also home to Alpacaly Ever After, a social enterprise where you can book a Meet and Greet with the alpacas and their babies. You have the chance to feed them, get up close and personal, take selfies and learn all about these beautiful animals. We’d recommend meeting the alpacas first, as the distillery tour comes with tasters!
Visit Cumbria website feature July 2020
Visit Cumbria got in touch and asked us if we would like to feature in their ‘What’s on in Keswick’ section on their website, of course we said yes!
Website HERE
The Lake District and Cumbria
The Lake District, one of the most beautiful regions of the UK, is located in the heart of Cumbria, a predominantly rural county in the far north west of England. World famous for its beautiful lakes and mountainous fells, carved out long ago by glaciers, the Lake District today is a playground for walkers and outdoor enthusiasts. As well as the whole of the Lake District, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cumbria includes the Eden Valley, the North Pennines, the Furness Peninsula, and a small part of the Yorkshire Dales.
Featured Event on the Keswick Tourism Association July 2020
Alpacaly Ever After joined the KTA in 2019 – 2020 years and have been very happy with the level of support and exposure we’ve received, especially during these tricky times.
Being featured as the main event is an honour and a lovely boost to our business. We are getting booked up quickly and offer a great outdoor activity that makes it safe and easy to manage social distancing. We applied for and got our Visit Britain ‘We’re Good to Go’ tick so we’re officially ready! More details HERE.
More details on the KTA and their membership HERE
Our Activities are listed HERE
BBC Radio Cumbria sharing our story July 2020
Marie from Radio Cumbria got in touch and came to visit our new arrivals for 2020. Terry and Ruby took her to our nursery site where she got to meet the 7 latest cria (baby Alpaca’s) to join our ever growing herd of #TheWoollyArmy, currently 130. While we have rescued most of our Alpaca’s and Llama’s we have also bred with them, to keep our flock young and healthy. The flock love the new babies so it’s a great way to build their bond as well.
Meet baby Florence Nightingale May 2020
Report in our local paper, The Keswick Reminder…
A little woolly bundle of spring joy called Florence Nightingale has arrived into the world at the Alpacaly Ever After social enterprise at Braithwaite. Baby alpaca Florence Nightingale Florence – or Flo … READ the whole article here…
Meet baby llama Florence Nightingale, named in honour of the NHS
The Woolly Army hits the big time... April 2020
Ocean Outdoor had a very special opportunity for smaller businesses and social enterprises like ours to have a series of billboards in significant locations around the UK. This was ‘given to us for free’ and even though the roads were quieter than normal due to Covid-19 we jumped at the chance to get our Woolly Army on a big screen. Let’s face it we were never going to be able to ever afford this in ‘real time’.
So from the 20th to the 26th of April, 2020 we had over 50 billboards around the UK with Terry and Ming on the top of Catbells here in the Lake District. This was our chosen advert, the whole campaign should have cost us £30k BUT we got it for free, thanks again to Ocean Outdoor for this amazing opportunity.
'We're gonna need a Bigger Shed' AVIVA Crowdfunder March 2020
In March 2020 we signed up for an Aviva Crowdfunder to build an Eco-shed for The Woolly Army. By the end of March we were all in lockdown so we asked Aviva if we could lower our target to ensure that anyone that had donated would get their Rewards, they said yes!
We didn’t raise the money we needed bit we were able to put some smiles on faces… so until next time!
We got featured in the AVIVA Crowdfunding video, on the top of Catbells with our Llama Boys…
Watch our moment HERE
Keswick Reminder - Llamas on Catbells Feb 2020
‘Woolly Army’ hits the heights in the Lake District, starring in the Keswick Reminder, page 2 on Friday 21st February, 2020!
5 llama’s and our core team of staff made the most of a break in the weather during Storm Dennis to top out on Catbells. Although we take treks up to the back of Catbells, getting llama’s on to the very top is often too hard due to the amount of people already up there. This was a very rare moment when there was no-one, except for us on the top trig point. So a first for us and the Lake District, llamas on Catbells summit!
*Watch this space for more summits in Summer*
Manchester Evening News Jan 2020
Things to do in the Lake District and Cumbria – from hiking to skydiving
The Lake District welcomes upwards of 15 million visitors every year, all hoping to enjoy the unparallelled beauty of the region and its wealth of outdoor activities. How many of these experiences can you tick off while you’re there?
The Lake District is home to an award-winning social enterprise, Alpacaly Ever After.
Aside from rehoming alpacas and llamas from all over the country, they offer a number of adorable alpaca-based adventures and experiences.
Guests can meet and greet with the animals, take them for a walk, or even go Llama Trekking through the picturesque Newlands Valley.
Head there in late spring and you might even be able to meet the new babies.
Read the whole article HERE
Natural Cumbria Membership Jan 2020
We joined Natural Cumbria!
Why we joined..
We provide an opportunity for people who might not otherwise choose to walk, or experience the outdoors and the beauty of the Lake District. We design and make delightful, ethical and sustainable products that promote alpaca yarn and crafts. We endeavour to be an ethical employer, paying above the Living Wage and offering flexible working hours in a pleasant working environment and a beautiful part of the world.
Link to our spot on their website HERE
Who Natural Cumbria are…
Welcome to Natural Cumbria. We aim to be a resource where both local Cumbrians and visitors to the area can find the best eco and holistic focused businesses. We know that some of these businesses can be hidden away and we aim to provide a platform where the great work they are doing can be brought forward for all to find.
More on Natural Cumbria HERE
Excellence in Environmental Practice Jan 2020
We achieved a Silver Award from the Green at Heart scheme operated by CBEN.
We 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. More on us HERE.
In order to participate in the CBEN Green at Heart scheme, we needed to do the following.. ‘you must have as a minimum an Environment Policy, be aware of the environmental legislation and that would apply to your business and understand the main impacts you have on the environment.
More on the Award HERE. Next on our radar, Gold Gold Gold…
Sykes Holiday Cottages 2019
Bob from Sykes Cottages came for a visit..
Find out how to experience more in the Lake District with Bob, our Travel Tipster, as he heads on a stroll through the grounds of the beautiful Lingholm Estate – with an alpaca…
Sykes Holiday Cottages website HERE.
Social Enterprise of the Year 2019
Winner of The New Social Enterprise Of The Year Award goes to…. Alpacaly Ever After (Massive cheers erupts)
And we quote “Alpacaly Ever After is a new social enterprise setup as a Community Interest Company less than 18 month ago. Since then over 7,000 people have participated in walks with their alpacas at the Lingholm Estate in Portinscale near Keswick and meet the alpacas at the Lakes Distillery. Their llamas have gone viral on social media and their video has had over 5 million views on UNILAD and they are currently rated on Tripadvisor as No. 1 out of 388 things to do in the Lake District”
More on the Awards HERE
We got featured on 22 Words in 2019
Our Squirrel made her debut appearance in our now famous Alpaca Rainbow video, featured below.
The team from BrainJolt Media got in touch and asked if they could share our joyful rainbow fluffy alpaca video, we said yes, then they spread the love.
In fact, they spread the love not once but 4 Times in 2019…
Friends of Tina starring 'one of our own' Sep19
You’d have to be a Napoleon Dynamite fan to get that reference, if you are and you did, you may be twice as excited to know that Theo, one of our Woolly Army boys, is starring on the Napoleon Dynamite Facebook and Instagram pages, under a false name, obviously, to protect his identity.
If you have no idea what we’re talking about… it’s a film, made in 2004 and Napoleon Dynamite is a high school student from Preston, Idaho who lives with his grandmother, his older brother Kip, and their pet llama, Tina. While we do not condone any of Tina’s scenes; being called fat, tied to a fence and not being fed the best diets for camelids (alpaca & llama’s come from the camelid family) we do love the dance scene at the end!
Link to Napoleon Dynamite Facebook page HERE and Instagram Page HERE
Theo’s Pinterest Board HERE
Any-other Wainwright Day Aug19
On Saturday 31st August 2019, we took part in a record breaking challenge.
@another.way.ig is a registered charity with a mission to empower people to change their own lives for the health and happiness of themselves, the community and our planet. On the 31st August Another Way challenged people to summit all 214 Wainwright’s simultaneously to raise awareness of the charity and promote environmentally sustainable living.????⛰️????️❤️
We planned to summit Fleetwith Pike with our awesome llama’s from @onceuponallama_ and gave two lucky people the opportunity to come with us and join #thewoollyarmy…
All they had to do was:
???? Like our post
???? Tag the friend that they would bring with them
????Both follow @alpacalyeverafter
????Share our post to their story
Entrants had to be over 16 years of age and provide their own transport and lunch on the day.
If you’d like to have a competition or activity like this with us, please get in touch via [email protected].
The Cumberland News & Star Apr19
Maureen from the The Cumberland News, News and Star came to visit and see what all the fuss was about…
ALPACA trekking across boulder-strewn hillsides sounds like something from the holiday of a lifetime, but it’s becoming a frequent spectacle in the Lake District thanks to Terry Barlow and Emma Smalley, who run Alpacaly Ever After at Setmurthy, near Bassenthwaite.
Although the business has been going for less than two years, the couple’s herd of alpacas has gone viral on Twitter and Facebook. Their video has had over five million views on Unilad, and their trips are currently rated on TripAdvisor as the number one thing to do out of 388 in the Lake District.
Read the full article HERE
That one time... when Unilad came to check us out! Feb18
Francesca Donovan and the Unilad Team came to join us on a Trek up Catbells in February 2018…
As a motley crew of 20-somethings ascended a mountainous fells on a crisp, bright January day, one fellow hiker stopped in her tracks in shock and awe.
She exclaimed, ‘Well, I never expected to see this on top of a mountain’. But the unexpected sight she referred to was not the pack of millennial UNILAD employees braving the outdoors pre-noon on a Monday morning.
Instead, the hiker’s attention was drawn to the flock of nine fluffy alpacas pacing up to the peak of Cat Bells in the Lake District.
Full article HERE
Foster Care Family Launch 2018
Our Foster Care Families launch with Cumbria County Council :) Alpacas, the fuzzy, docile domesticated member of the camelid family, have been proving companionable to children and adults as therapy animals in a new initiative launched this week by Cumbria County Council.
“Walking with these magical animals is truly relaxing as they are so gentle and calming. The whole experience is very soothing for a troubled soul, and could be a very therapeutic activity for foster families with children of all ages.”
The whole article is HERE
BBC News Report 2018
“It’s like I’ve woke up from being drunk with a herd of 60 alpacas” This is what happens when we let Terry talk to the BBC North West ;)
Find out more about how it all began and meet the stars of the show, Jake, Boo and Will, our very first alpaca’s.
Love Travel in 2018
Love Travel came and met our Woolly Army in 2018..
Fabulous Hannah in 2018
Hannah came to visit and created a lovely YouTube moment for her 419k subscribers..
Live with Elle in 2017
Elle Parker was on a visit from Australia .. “If you’ve ever wanted to walk an alpaca amongst some of the most beautiful grounds in the world, have I got some exciting news for you. Alpacaly Ever After is the most memorable holiday experience I’ve ever had, and I wanted to share it with you all.
Located on the pristine grounds of The Lingholm Estate, Alpacaly Ever After offers a unique behind the scenes tour of the private grounds whilst walking your very own alpaca.
If there is only ONE thing you do in the Lake District, let it be an Alpacaly Ever After Tour with Terry. He’s an absolute legend and my favourite person we met on our entire trip.
Read the full ‘Live with Elle’ HERE
More about Elle HERE
Guess who's in the INDEPENDENT... 2017
Helen gets to meet Terry and Jake and do a walk at The Lingholm Estate… we think she liked it ;)
“Fifty metres ahead waits a man wearing wellies and a tweed flat cap over his flaming red hair. That isn’t what’s astonishing – it’s pretty standard dress code for nearby Keswick, the pretty Lake District town where we’ve been staying for the last few days. No, what’s taken me aback is his two companions: a couple of joyously adorable alpacas.
..30 minutes later..
“Goodbye Jake,” I say softly, stroking his neck as I imagine I see his clear blue eyes welling up with tears.”
Milky Joe is in the news again.. News & Star 2017
With a caption that reads ‘Bottle-fed alpaca Milky Joe to be Lake District peak tour guide’
The rest of the article is HERE – News and Star
Salvage Hunters came for a visit 2017
Drew is on an adventure to the Lake District? ALPACA MY BAGS!
Cumbria Live Family Fun Column
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