A HOOK business which specialises in producing top quality yarn, has been shortlisted for an award which showcases the very best in British rural enterprise.

The Little Grey Sheep is a regional finalist in the Outstanding Rural Diversification Project category at the Rural Business Awards (RBAs).

Sponsored by Amazon, the scheme which is now in its fourth year, will see the winners announced at a glittering ceremony on October 23 at Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking.

The Little Grey Sheep was founded by Emma Boyles, who decided to buy a farm in 2004 having previously worked in telecoms.

The 53-year-old mother-of-three grew up in Pembrokeshire on a dairy farm.

A keen knitter and with a passion for textiles, it was only a matter of time before Emma found a way to produce a unique British yarn at her farm.

“I learned to knit from my grandmother and took it up and thought ‘this is mad, I have got wool in the field and I’m buying it’ so I ended up getting our first wool spun and it was horrendous. I thought all wool was the same.”

Emma quickly learned that different sheep produce different wool and she bought three Gotland sheep, which produced a beautiful fibre wool.

Now, there are 450 sheep on the farm and the business has gone from strength to strength.

Emma sold the first batch at a show in Farnham and was surprised when it all sold out.

She now ships the product across the world to countries including Australia, America and Japan.

The entrepreneur also cross bred the sheep to create her own breed which has a registered trademark.

“It’s the softest knitting yarn in the UK,” said a proud Emma, “We do everything to look after the fibre.”

All the fleeces are hand-sorted on the farm by shepherdess Susie Parish and Emma to ensure that only the best quality fibres go into the yarn.

The fibre is then washed in Yorkshire and spun in Devon before returning to the farm in Hook to be hand dyed by Emma, who takes inspiration from the surrounding countryside when choosing colours.

Emma avoids using modern intensive farming techniques, instead focusing on conserving the landscape and using traditional farming methods to preserve the environment.

“It can be difficult for our customers to realise that when we run low on products there is a lengthy process to go through to create more. It takes about a year and a half from the time it’s shorn to get it back as yarn,” explained Emma.

But she said that this is also the business’s unique selling point and attracts customers to the product knowing that it has a story behind it.

Emma said she is delighted to be shortlisted for the award, adding: “It’s quite exciting and nerve-wracking. They seem to be really well thought of which is nice and I think for us, we don’t have a huge budget for marketing and promotion, so hopefully we can get some promotion through the award and that gives people confidence in us.”