Wool week’s £500k boost

THIS YEAR’s Shetland Wool Week boosted the local economy to the tune of over half a million pounds, according analysts from Highland Business Research.

The nine-day event, which was held across the isles in September and October, generated £526,000 for the economy – a near 70 per cent increase on the previous year.

A survey carried out on money handed over during wool week took into account spending on classes and tours, food and drink and accommodation, as well as transport within Shetland and gifts.

It revealed that visitors brought £460,00 into the Shetland economy, while locals contributed £70,000.

Promote Shetland’s Misa Hay, who is involved in organising Shetland Wool Week, said the event is enjoying huge growth.

Attendance figures nearly doubled this year as over 3,000 tickets were sold for 200 different classes and events.

“We have seen a growing interest and enthusiasm for Shetland Wool Week and it is evident that people are prepared to travel long distances and invest considerably once they are here,” Hay said.

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“We have been focusing on building up the Shetland Wool Week brand and profile through various marketing activities and in terms of interest for Shetland’s textile industry, the figures speak for themselves.

“We have over 10,000 followers on Instagram, 12,000 Facebook fans and 22,000 subscribers to the newsletter alone.

“Attending key events such as the Vogue Knitting Live in New York and Edinburgh Yarn Festival have had a beneficial impact, with 40 per cent of attendees coming from outside the UK, many from long haul destinations.”