5th | Early in the month saw the relaunch of Herdysleep with a brand new website and an improved, 3rd Generation Herdysleep mattress. During 2021 were proud to add three more farms to the initiative to buy Herdwick wool direct from farms here in the Lake District.
8th | As we entered a 3rd National Lockdown, it was more important than ever to help raise funds for charities that so desperately needed it, and to honour those heroes who'd played such a huge part in the battle against Covid-19. By the end of last year, ewe magnificent bunch helped us raise £22,620 for charity via the Herdy Heroes tea towel! Our final total, reached in March 2021, was an amazing £30,000!
Faye Knight of NHS Charities Together said “We are delighted to hear that you have been fundraising for us as part of your “Herdy Heroes” campaign. To have raised £7,500 for NHS Charities together and £30,000 overall is phenomenal and we are so grateful for your kind support.
2nd | Herdy donated £3,000 for CAD equipment and a new ‘Community Maker Space’ at Settlebeck School, Cumbria.
17th | To celebrate ‘Random Acts of Kindness Day’ we gave away 30 adorable Little Herdys to some very deserving nominees; individuals who had gone above and beyond for their community during the pandemic. We received over 800 nominations and it was the challenge of the year to whittle it down to thirty. Ewe certainly are a kind,caring, and compassionate bunch.
8th | International Women Day saw us celebrate 5 remarkable women, nominated by ewe. They included heroic home-schoolers, superhero mums, soul singers and domestic goddesses!
10th | The art of Herdy baking reached dizzy heights in 2021! This Happy Herdy Birthday cake was sent in by talented home baker Ali, from Mooncakes online.
16th | In the Herdsters Facebook group, Sue shared her very first Felted Herdy. Isn't it amazing!
24th | We were happy to announce the winner of our World Poetry Day competition. The very talented Paula Connelly!
25th | Herdy won the High Sheriff of Cumbria's Small and Medium Enterprise Business Innovation Award, in recognition of Herdy’s outstanding business innovation during the Covid-19 crisis.
Julie Barton, High Sheriff said, “Congratulations on all you have achieved. It is absolutely fantastic! It was a privilege to able to recognise and celebrate Herdy's achievements at the awards event on Wednesday, and thank you for your generosity in donating your £250 prize money to The Cumbria Community Foundation”
1st | Easter bakes were coming in thick and fast! Alison made this B-EWE-TIFUL Herdy themed Simnel cake using the Herdy cookie cutter. Wow, what a talent!
7th | Herdwick lambing season was upon us and we were inundated with super cute pictures of baby Herdwicks springing about the Lake District. It’s official, you can never have too many photos of lambs!
12th | After a very, VERY long wait, we were finally able to open our shop doors once again and welcome back all our lovely customers.
13th | April saw the launch of our brand new Baby range, which looked absolutely adorable on all the gorgeous babies featured on our social media.
27th | Introducing the Hodgson’s, a farming family who are part of our Ullswater farming cooperative, supplying us with Herdwick fleece for the Herdysleep Mattresses. Our co-founder Spencer had a (socially distanced) chat with the Hodgson's about Herdwick Farming in Glencoyne, the future of farming, working with the changing environment and diversification.
Conservation, The Environment & Farming In The Lake District
9th | Our home and inspiration, The Lake District, celebrated its 70th Birthday! We marked the occasion with cake (obviously).
13th | The winner of our Roam Free Limerick Competition was Alice Legge who was selected from some incredible entries.
21st | June welcomed a new team member to Herdy, newly appointed C.O.D (Chief Office Dog) Raff! He was rescued from kennels by Herdy co-founders, Diane and Spence. A little nervous at first, he soon made friends with everyone; rapidly acquiring a reputation for stealing food and frisking any unattended bag in stealth like fashion!
24th | Little Herdy went on the adventure of a lifetime when he accompanied Cumbrian climbers Paul Etheridge and Pete Brittleton, to take on one of the hardest feats in climbing; the ascent of K2 and Broad Peak (2 of the 14 peaks in the world over 8000mtrs). Herdy were one of the sponsors of the expedition. Sadly, the guys didn’t conquer the mountains but they took part in a heroic rescue of another climber and, on their safe return, said how Little Herdy had proved to be quite a hit with the local guides!
22nd | A brand new partnership was launched with the release of the Herdy and SIGG Travel and Meridian Bottles. For more than 100 years, the name SIGG has stood for precision-made, award-winning products with unmistakable design and outstanding quality. This ewe-nique collaboration with Herdy made a trusted companion even more lovable!
28th | Creative corner at Herdy HQ was extra busy! The new arrivals kept coming with the launch of Herdy and Sheppy’s handy refillable bottles and the cute Herdy snack box set.
5th | What’s always certain about a British Summer? The August downpours made the perfect time to launch our new Peep Umbrellas. Who says you can't smile in the rain!
11th | Ever wondered how a Herdy mug is made? In August we took you on a guided tour of our UK factory, so you could have an exclusive peep behind the scenes.
12th | Say hello to ‘Line’ our brand new range of Tea Towels, Table Mats and Coasters, all inspired by the history of graphite mining in The Lake District.
3rd | This fabulous photo of the gorgeous Baxter enjoying his holiday in The Lakes, shows Herdy ‘Ewe Tubes’ are not just for ‘ewe-mans’!
12th | We had a wonderful surprise at Herdy HQ when the very talented Julie Callaghan sent us in this b-ewe-tiful poem!
13th | Herdy’s Birthday! Herdy celebrated 14 fun filled years which gave everyone at Herdy HQ a great excuse to eat lots of cake and even enjoy a conga courtesy of the baby Herdy gang.
22nd | Once again we took part in the annual Sheep Drive which took place on London’s Southwark Bridge. This event sees retailers and manufacturers from across the UK gather to celebrate the wool industry and watch the world famous sheep drive, a unique event featuring a flock of sheep, casually strolling amongst the sights of London.
27th | As the UK was facing a fuel crisis this fella had no problem queuing at the pumps!
1st | We celebrated World Smile Day the only way we knew how, by sharing a Herdy selfie of course!
14th | October saw lots of newbies being added to the range, including the new Herdy Line mug; the design inspired by historic graphite mining in the Lake District.
18th | With Halloween just around the corner, we saw lots of creativity in the kitchen using Herdy cookie cutter. Here are some of your spooktacular bakes.
28th | The launch we had all been waiting for was finally here, the Herdy Jigsaw! We challenged you to complete it in the shortest possible time. Astonishingly completed in a matter of days by Alex Palmer and his dedicated helpers……….we’re still trying to finish ours!
31st | Nothing sums up October 2021 better than Draculamb!
10th | Brand new for Herdy - our 100% organic cotton, super comfy leisurewear hit the shelves in November. So cosy, it felt like a hug in a hoodie!
15th | We wished HUGE congrat-ewe-lations to a very special couple who tied the knot with the help of some VIS (very important sheep) guests. Everyone at Herdy was very honoured to play a part in Mr and Mrs Hails special day.
1st | With Christmas just around the corner we said a big hello to ‘Hetty the Holiday Herdwick’. Hetty is a pet lamb from a local farm and clearly has aspirations to spread the festive cheer. Step aside all those would be Santas – make way for the sheep!
4th | The immensely talented Susan Tholen created this incredible handbag, made from Herdwick wool fabric and lined with colourful Herdy tea towels.
14th | Christmas was well and truly in the air as we rolled out our Christmas Freebies for you all to get creative over the holidays.
Thanks to all of ewe for giving us such joy on 2021. Wishing ewe a happy, healthy and fun filled New Year!
