`Farmer Tom' highlights benefits of wool.

Cartoon character Farmer Tom is promoting British wool carpets.

He will feature on a show card, produced by the British Wool Marketing Board, to attract customers' attention to British wool carpets and remind people that British wool is a natural fibre.

Along with the card, retailers will also receive a canvas bag of wool, a leaflet dispenser and a supply of the board's latest publication ( About Wool ( that explains simply the benefits of wool as a fibre in carpet and what it brings to the home.

Tim Booth, product development manager for British Wool, said: "We want people to understand the true benefits of wool as a carpet fibre, which they often don't.

"Many people ask for a wool carpet but they haven't really any great understanding of why wool is so good in carpet. In many cases, I suspect that people will not even register that the wool in their carpet came from sheep, which is why we have included a bag of clean natural, unprocessed wool with the show card promotional pack."

Farmer Tom's growing profile is a fresh approach to marketing British Wool, but the board finds that it works on two fronts; firstly he is a bright and cheerful character who stands out in the busy carpet showroom and secondly, he is the real face behind the fibre.

Mr Booth said: "British sheep farmers are the reason wool is available to carpet and Farmer Tom portrays the field to floor story perfectly.

"Wool has a tremendous life-cycle, which highlights the wonder of nature and the resources of manufacturing, not every product has that story and we really should maximise on it."