BECKSIDE FARM SHOP

Please email info@becksidecarefarm.co.uk if you would like make a purchase.
Payment on collection/delivery

Our Herd

Our 18 alpacas reside at our care farm, Beckside Care Farm, in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales, roaming 25 acres at their leisure. They are first and foremost therapy animals for service users of the care farm, providing support, purposeful activities, and a lot of joy for individuals with mental health conditions and learning disabilities.

Over the years, we’ve accumulated rather a large amount of fleece from our herd and are very excited to now be in a position where we can create some products with it.

Income from product sales goes back into the care farm to help us keep day rates affordable for the vulnerable adults and young people who access the farm’s services.

Our Yarn

It's hard to deny our herd of alpaca is one of the most popular farm features with visitors. They are first and foremost much loved therapy animals for service users of the care farm, providing support, purposeful activities, and a lot of joy.

Local alpaca shearer, Jaimie Meakin, shears our alpaca to relieve them of their heavy warm fleeces before the summer. We then deliver our fleeces to Paul at Halifax Spinning Mill. Paul has worked in the textile industry for almost 40 years so has a wealth of experience in making high quality bespoke yarn out of our fibre. No dyes or chemicals are added so colours are completely natural and it’s Paul’s expertise that creates unique and bespoke shades for us.

Alpaca / Shetland DK

You've probably heard alpaca yarn is super soft and hypoallergenic, with a natural crimp, making it a naturally elastic yarn well-suited for knitting. It’s stronger than mohair, finer than cashmere, smoother than silk, softer than cotton, warmer than goose down, and more breathable than thermal knit. Did you also know it is water-repellent so yes you can go out in the rain!

2024 sees us able to offer our DK yarn for sale, readymade textile pieces and kits to follow, to help day rates at the care farm stay at an accessible level for the vulnerable adults and young people who access the farm’s services. At the core of our alpaca fleece venture is a sustainable, eco-friendly ethos that champions locally produced, artisanal crafts and gives back to the community.

Our DK yarn, carefully crafted from 50% Beckside Alpaca fleece / 50% locally sourced registered Shetland Sheep fleece is available in 100g hanks (approx. 250 yards) and on cones for larger quantities for machine knitters.

More colours coming soon!

£13.50 per 100g

Alpaca Fibre Dryer Balls

Handmade, reuseable dryer balls made from 100% natural material. A sustainable way to reduce drying time by approximately 25%, lessen laundry wrinkles and ironing time. Decreases static and softens fabric without use the use of chemicals. Recommended use 2-3 balls per load.

£6.00 for 1 ball

£15.00 for 3 balls

Birds nesting fleece hangers

Soft, natural Alpaca fibre is perfect bedding material for birds.

Each hanger contains alpaca fibre from our herd at Beckside.The hangers are filled with warm and water repellent alpaca fibre.

Choice of colours available.

£10.00 each

Nesting fleece refill

Refills for your nesting fleece hangers (above).

Alpaca fleece also makes perfect bedding for small pets such as Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs etc

Sizes

50g refill £4.00

100g refill £7.50

150g refill £10.00

Gardener's Gold

Our alpaca graze on grass containing no herbicides or chemical fertilizers.

Alpaca manure is higher in Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphoric Acid than horse manure. As a result of the Alpaca's digestion there will be no unwanted seeds etc in the manure and there is no need to compost it before use - it can go straight onto the garden.

It can be used indoors and outdoors as it almost completely odourless.

If you make an Alpaca manure "tea" (1 part alpaca droppings 2 parts water) it can be sprayed directly onto plants - alpaca droppings have little organic content thanks to the animal’s three stomachs so it won't "burn" plants. If you do make a "tea" be aware that this will smell!

£4.00 per 540mm x 815mm bag

COLLECTION FROM BECKSIDE BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

WE WILL DELIVER LOCALLY WITHIN A 10 MILE RADIUS - MINIMUM ORDER 5 BAGS