IN the Westcountry craft marquee ably demonstrating their home spun skills were the ladies of the Devon Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. The aim of the guild, which has around 300 members across Devon, is to preserve and improve the crafts of weaving, spinning and dyeing by hand, and to promote these traditional crafts to the general public.

Jo Diffey, whose family has a small holding at Throwleigh, uses wool to make clothing from her flock of Suffolk cross and Blue Faced Leicester sheep.

She said:?'The wool I use from the Blue Faced Leicester is so soft and fine — excellent material for garments. Wool is so good at keeping you warm! Other members use all sorts of material such as Cashmere, silks and camel and other different fibres like Alpaca.

'What we produce is far better than any clothing that is massed produced and of beautiful quality. I know one marvellous lady who is in her 80s and spins, weaves, cuts up her own fabric to make lovely garments.