Sheep breeder and felt maker Olwen Veevers is, in her own words, a “wool evangelist”.

She farms on the Herefordshire border at Cross Ash and is well known in the industry for her own “coloured” sheep.

She puts much of her energies into a revival of wool in the textile world.

Olwen is company secretary for Wonderwool Wales Ltd and is a stalwart organiser of its 2009 show, to be held at the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells on April 25 and 26.

As chairman of the Coloured Sheep Breeders Association, she is keen to promote the green credentials of naturally coloured wool, alpaca, silk and linen.

She says the event at Builth Wells will be a showcase for the myriad uses of wool and natural fibres.

“While sheep farmers could once expect fleeces to bring in a tidy extra income, many now count themselves lucky if the prices they fetch cover the shearing costs,” said Olwen. It was important to find ways to promote wool and develop new markets for it, she added.

There will be more than 125 exhibitors at the show, which is being run alongside Mid Wales Mouthful Food Festival with a range of tasty food and drink from 57 of the region’s best food producers.