“I don’t own it myself it belongs to the company so the trees will be retained and invested money stays with the company, guarantying into the future that the land and trees will be retained for posterity.”Īs a result, Chimney Sheep was one of Kevin McCloud’s Green Heroes and has also won several awards for innovation, including a Queen’s Award for Enterprise this year. “I found some land and thought well my son might look after them when I’m gone, but how can I guarantee that the trees will keep growing? So, I ended up setting up a community interest company and we now have 180 acres which is asset locked. I started the company when I was looking for land because I was growing trees in pots and need somewhere to plant them. “They sequester carbon, mitigate flood damage and create habitat for wildlife. Sally added: “There’s a lot of things to worry about with the environment and sometimes you just feel powerless and hopeless but planting trees is a really positive action. Since 2019, the company has acquired 180 acres of land and planted 70,000 trees with a further 100,000 set to be planted next planting season on Low Fell in the Lake District. In addition to her products, Sally also set up Buy Land, Plant Trees, a community interest company where 20 per cent of the company’s profits go. I’ve always been concerned about the environment since I was a teenager, so for the last 35 years I’ve campaigned and written letters, but to have a business where we can sell environmentally friendly products and know we’re making a difference is just amazing.” Sally said: “It’s enormously rewarding to know we’re helping the environment. Over 10 years, Chimney Sheep has saved 188,080 tonnes of CO₂ by preventing heat loss up chimneys, which is the equivalent of planting 277,481 acres of trees. It felt like I hadn’t risked it all for nothing and it just felt really great.”Īlongside the money saved on customer bills, the simple draught excluder has also made a huge difference to the environment. “I had also had some really positive feedback from customers. Inventor Sally Phillips checks on one of her Herdwick wool Chimney Sheep “By the following January, I’d got through the first 1000 components and I felt like the gamble had paid off, there was a demand for it and what had first seemed like a daunting number had worked out in a few months. So, when I launched in November 2012, I had no money left for advertising, we were just lucky enough to get into some papers. She said: “When I was setting out that felt enormous and it was a massive risk because it was a lot of money to pay for the moulds. Thanks to the sales explosion, Sally has now moved her business into Workington’s former bowling alley with 15 staff members.īut at first, taking the leap was anything but exciting for Sally, who had to order 1,000 plastic components for her product without knowing if anyone would want to buy it. The demand for Chimney Sheep has now grown even further as people look for ways to save money on their energy bills this winter.Īnually, the product has helped customers save £26,551,362 off heating bills thanks to more heat staying in the home, leading to customers using their central heating less.
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