Shetland Wool Week celebrates its tenth year this Autumn and with more people than ever booked on classes, tours and activities it is set to be the biggest and best yet. As part of the celebrations the Wool Week team are collecting stories from the people who have been part of Wool Week over the years – from participants to patrons, tutors to tea makers, communities to crofters.
Shetland Wool Week has grown from a small community event in 2010 with only a handful of classes, to an international festival attracting hundreds of textile enthusiasts each year from across the globe. The event is very much driven by the community and local involvement – it is the people and the place that make it so special. Organisers of the event, Shetland Amenity Trust, hope that the stories will capture this important aspect of Wool Week and can be used to help both celebrate and promote the event.
Victoria Tait, Shetland Wool Week Manager at the Shetland Amenity Trust said, “The festival attracts an eclectic and vibrant mix of people from all over the world. They come to Wool Week because they love wool and go home again in love with Shetland and its people too. Many of them return again and again. We are always hearing snippets of stories of lifelong friendships forged, local businesses going above and beyond, and even of local folk helping to repair someone’s Fair Isle family heirloom. It is these stories that truly represent what Wool Week is all about and we are keen to capture them.”
The team are in search of all types of stories e.g. a particular highlight of Wool Week, a person or event that sticks out in your mind, something that made you laugh or even cry, or something that happened at, or as a result of, Shetland Wool Week. They are looking for entries from everyone – whether you are a local business owner, tutor, participant, volunteer or simply have come across ‘wool weekers’ as they explore Shetland.
The team will select their favourite stories which will win a small prize and will be shared at the Shetland Wool Week 2019 opening event and beyond. Entries should be no more than 1,000 characters long (approximately 150-200 words) and should be submitted online at the following link www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SWWStories. You can also add a photo if you wish. Deadline for entries is Monday 9th September.
