Herdy's New Year Roundup

Here are a few of the things that made us smile in 2024

January

• We kicked off the year with a fun caption competition. With over 350 fantastic entries, one stood out as our absolute favourite. Congratulations to our winner, Jan Smallwood - thank ewe, Jan!
• We experienced our first Snow Day of the year, with the Lakes blanketed in a generous layer of snow. Our Grasmere store looked a picture-perfect winter wonderland.
• Over the years, we’ve received many photos of Herdy tattoos, but Michelle’s stands out. She wanted to capture her love for the Lake District and its famous fleecy resident. Michelle’s tattoo, showing true brand devotion, marked the 13th Herdy tattoo we’ve received! 

February

• We made quite an impression at this year’s Spring Fair trade show at the NEC in Birmingham! Herdy’s newest recruits, Henrietta and Heidi, along with their pram of lambs, spread Cumbrian charm throughout the trade show.
• We partnered with our friends at The Mardale Inn in Bampton to host a competition for a two-night stay, celebrating their newly renovated rooms featuring our Herdysleep mattresses – almost 500 entries were received!
• This Random Acts of Kindness day, team Herdy was thrilled to spread some cheer amongst the young patients at Westmorland General Hospital. Herdy designed and donated the two wall murals which were installed in the Children’s Urgent Treatment Centre. The ewe-nique murals were designed in collaboration staff at the hospital and featured Herdy's adventures in the Lake District! 

March

• We took part in a very Egg-cellent Easter Campaign! Herdy donned his apron and joined Booths for their big Easter weekend event. Across multiple Booths stores, Herdy hid Easter eggs up and down the aisles for people to find. Prizes were given to everyone who completed the Easter egg hunt and successfully spelt out the secret word.
• We launched Herdy Art - a range of fun and colourful art designed to bring Herdy’s smile to your home. This affordable collection made right here in the UK, marked an exciting new venture for Herdy!
• We celebrated the first Herdwick lambs of the year! Meet little Charlie and his proud first-time mum, Bea. Thank ewe to @holly.a.farmers.wife for this adorable picture.

April

• We posted our annual April Fool's joke and this year and our cheeky post went down a storm! We surprised our followers with the ‘launch’ of a brand new limited edition product, Herdy Peep Underpants! Little did we know that Herdy pants would become such a huge hit! Our followers were deeply disappointed that they couldn't order the new limited edition range! Maybe a range for the future?
• Meet Frankie, whose love for climbing took him to extraordinary heights. Joined by his mum, a highly experienced mountain rescue volunteer, 8-year-old Frankie embarked on a challenging nine-day trek to Everest's base camp. Frankie took a little bit of home with him on his trip in the form of a Herdy Mountain Rescue Ewe Tube.
• We were thrilled to welcome a group of Herdy superfans to HQ for HerdyCon! Now in its third year, this special event gathers Herdy fans from around the world. It's a chance to showcase unique Herdy collections, spark new product ideas, and support local charities and, of course, say THANK EWE to our amazing community!

May

• We were thrilled to share our exciting news! Herdy opened its fifth store in the beautiful Lake District, right in the heart of Ambleside. This vibrant town, rich in history and surrounded by stunning scenery, became home to our newest shop. On opening day, Ambleside buzzed with excitement as we warmly welcomed friends and fans to the new store. Special guests Henrietta and Heidi Herdwick made a special appearance, courtesy of the Bread & Butter Theatre Company.
• Team Herdy huffed and puffed their way around the Kendal ‘Colour Dash’ course in glorious sunshine, with the help of some little furry friends. We’re super proud to have supported this event again. The 2024 colour dash raised over £20,000 to support the incredible work done by the team at St John’s Hospice.
• We launched our new Herdy Lifestyle Mugs! Featuring Herdy and Sheppy on fun adventures - gardening, dancing, BBQing, and more. These British made mugs feature the strapline – do what makes ewe smile! 

June

• In June, Herdy felt the love in our Kendal store as we celebrated Pride Month. This year, we were especially excited to support Kendal Pride with a fab-ewe-lous window display and sponsorship. Thank you for letting us be part of such a special event!
• We auctioned the Little Herdy and Sheppy soft toys who successfully completed the Kendal Colour Dash with us, complete with their exclusive Herdy medals. Over the past 2 years, the Colour Dash auction has raised £1423 for St John's Hospice. The top 6 bids this year raised an incredible £585. Thank ewe!
• Sheppy finally got his very own mug! What could be cuter than the paw-fectly lovable Sheppy to accompany your brew? Whether he's playing fetch, or taking a little tinkle, Sheppy’s sure to make ewe smile.

July

• We paid tribute to veteran fell runner Joss Naylor, who passed away aged 88. Joss was an amazing charity fundraiser for the local community here in the Lakes. He was appointed an MBE for services to sport and charity in 2007. Aged 50, the Cumbrian sheep farmer ran all 214 Wainwrights in 7 days. Aged 60 he ran 60 Lakeland fell tops in 36 hours and at 70, he ran 70 Lakeland fells. He was a true legend and an inspiration to us all.
• Herdy was back on the road for this year’s summer shows, bringing Herdy’s signature smile to the Great Yorkshire Show and the Royal Welsh Show. It was wonderful to spread some Herdy joy at these iconic events!
• We teamed up with the lovely folk at Beetham Nurseries to celebrate their 40th Anniversary with a Limited Edition Herdy Tea Towel. Just in time for their summer festival celebration. A special 'thank ewe' to the team at Beetham for celebrating their milestone birthday with Herdy.

August

• Herdy launched a brand-new range of drinking glasses. For Herdy, who we all know likes the odd tipple, it was a perfect addition to the range!
• To celebrate World Photography Day, we asked to see your BEST Herdwick or Sheepdog pictures. The winner of the competition was Kez Adams, with this adorable photo of Flossie. Congrat-ewe-lations, Kez! We received over 300 entries, all of which were superb - making us smile, laugh, and say aww! Choosing a winner was no easy task. A big thank ewe to everyone who entered! 
• We were super excited to announce Herdy's arrival at Hayes Garden World. Hayes has been a part of the Lake District landscape for over 200 years and now includes the Lakes cutest sheep!

September

• In September, we celebrated Herdy’s birthday, marking 17 years of spreading smiles and happiness! Since our launch in 2007, we’ve come a long way, and we want to thank all of ewe for making us smile.
• On Sunday 29th of September, Herdy had the pleasure of joining the annual Sheep Drive in London. A lively celebration of British Wool and the ancient tradition of driving sheep across London Bridge. For Herdy, this year’s event was extra special as Store Manager Emma was granted the privilege of driving a flock of sheep across Southwark Bridge. This honour is usually reserved exclusively for Freemen or liverymen of the City of London, making Emma’s participation a rare and special moment.
• Join us in congrat-ewe-lating Patrick Fitzwilliam and his World Champion Herdwick Sheep! Herdy was very proud to have sponsored this year's award at the Eskdale show, shining a light on the very best of the Herdwick breed.

October

• Herdy magnets finally arrived in October! Woop Woop! Adding a pop of colour and a dash of fun to your fridge. This has probably been our most requested item. It took us a while but we finally delivered!
• We got into the Halloween spirit with Herdy’s spooktac-ewe-lar Chocolate Mummy Cookies! These chocolatey treats weren’t just delicious—they were a baa-rilliant twist on traditional Halloween cookies.  With Herdy Cookie Cutter in hand, it was time to make some sheepishly spooky snacks that left everyone flocking for more.
• We were feeling festive at Herdy HQ in October and bursting with Christmas spirit after launching our Christmas Collection. With mugs, tea towels, stockings, advent calendars, and more, the range had everything needed to fill your home with smiles this holiday season.

November

• In November, we took the time to mark Remembrance Day. Thank ewe to farmer Holly who sent in this beautiful picture of Hunca the Herdwick who we shared with our followers to mark the day.
• We launched our new range of Christmas Freebies, including Herdy and Sheppy enjoying a day at the Christmas Market! Our latest printable freebies are super easy and great fun to make. Keeping little hands (and big ones) busy in the run-up to Christmas.
• On the 29th December we celebrated a very special Birthday as Sheppy turned 1. We had loads of well wishes sent through on Sheppy’s big day, thank ewe to everyone who celebrated with us.

December

• Our Christmas windows were installed early December to spread festive cheer throughout the lakes! Our 5 Lake District stores were chock full of Christmas goodies and we even entered our Ambleside display into the town’s Christmas Window Competition!
• Little Herdy sent us some selfies from the latest Graduation ceremony at Cumbria University. Congrat-ewe-lations to all the students, you’re all baa-rilliant!
• We were saddened to hear about the 'The World's Smallest Flock Sheep Sanctuary' — a loving home for rescued and disabled sheep who lost their shelter during Storm Bert. They care for their flock with so much heart, and we knew Herdy would want to lend a helping hoof. We, along with a number of Herdy fans and lots of other lovely people, came together and contributed to the fundraiser to help rebuild the shelter and provide some tasty treats for the flock of very special sheep. This is a picture of Moo, the flocks only resident Herdwick sheep. 

Thank ewe for giving us such joy in 2024. We wish ewe a happy, healthy and fun-filled New Year.

Here’s to 2025!