Hemp Fabric UK

About Us

 

Who Are We ?

Hemp Fabric UK is run by me, Samantha Pickering. I am also a full time Mum to 4 children under 8.

I got into hemp by accident, thanks to my children and an existing business, Happy Nappy Days, which supplies cloth nappies. I had been looking to add a natural, environmentally friendly, absorbent and soft fabric to my product range – and hemp seemed to be the answer. As luck would have it I then discovered Hemp Fabric UK. I was very impressed with the business and the amazing potential of hemp so, on discovering that the people running the company couldn’t commit the time to developing it properly, I decided to buy it.

That was in February 2006. I am still thrilled to be working with such a versatile material and continue to learn about its properties, uses and applications.

Where Are We ?

Hemp Fabric UK is run from two locations in North Devon. Sometimes this can make things a little complicated but the best way to contact us is to call us is via email, on the home base number (01271 314812) or via text to our mobile (07896338346). We always try to return calls within the hour during office hours or first thing the next working day.

Home Office
Home base is exactly what is says. Looking after four children means that it’s often easier to work from home than the office. As a company we believe that’s it’s important to balance work and home and this makes it just that little bit easier. Also, there is plenty of dry, secure storage for our stock, which means we can keep it in perfect condition before dispatch.

Hemp Fabric UK
Kavella
Bishops Tawton
Barnstaple
Devon
EX32 0AP
T: 01271 314812
F: 01271 314812

Research Base
This office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays of most weeks. It is here that we get to do our research work in to hemp fabric as well as the fun part of running the business: meeting clients, marketing ourselves and catching up with colleagues. The office is at the Incubation North Devon (IND) site, Caddsdown Business Park, Bideford. It is a great site with impressive environmental credentials and a lot of invaluable business support on site. We also have our own Pipistrelle bat colony and a resident barn Owl.

Hemp Fabric UK Research
Office 2
The Barns
Farm Road
Caddsdown Business Park
Bideford
Devon
EX39 3BT
T: 01237 426425

How Do We Do Business / Buying From Us

Our business in predominantly internet based. We can take orders online, by telephone, or via order forms. Whilst we don’t have a shop we are always happy to show you a selection of our fabrics at our Research Base. Just call to arrange an appointment.

If you prefer to see our fabrics ain a retail environment then you can see them at the Earth Store at Somerset College of Art and Technology in Taunton, and at Hemp in Avalon in Glastonbury, although we cannot guarantee they have all fabrics in stock.

We attend shows and conferences through out the year. The dates and places can be found on the News page of our website.

As a mother to 4 children under 8, there are times that work and home life clash. However, we always do our best to make sure that orders are completed on time and will always contact our customers to let them know if there is an unavoidable delay on their order.

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 9am till 5pm

School Holidays
We operate a limited telephone contact service during all school holidays, so we ask our customers to leave a message on our main number. We still continue to take orders over the internet, reply to emails and cut and dispatch orders.

OUR PROMISE:

  • To always get you the best price we can for the fabrics you want
  • To deliver fabrics to you as soon as we can possibly arrange it
  • Keep you informed as to any relevant updates on your fabric order (ie shipping details etc).
  • To search for fabrics outside of our stock range to meet your requirements
  • To answers all your queries as completely as possible, and if we do not have the answers, then to find out and get back to you as soon as possible
  • To reply to all calls and emails as promptly as possible

DISCOUNTS:

Student Discount
Students qualify for a 5% discount. To qualify we must ask all students to contact us so we can verify their student status and process their discount. Student discount may not be used in conjunction with any other offer (i.e. the swatch pack refund). 
Swatch Pack Discount
Swatch pack cost £10. This will be refunded in full when you place an order for a minimum of £50 worth of fabric within 30 days.

Eco Business Policy

We are always trying to do everything we can to reduce the impact our business makes on the environment. None of us are perfect and we’re not claiming to be eco-saints, but we do all we can.

  • All our imports travel by road or sea to avoid air travel.
  • All blend fabrics are blended with organic cotton
  • All suppliers either have ISO certification or are currently working to this or other equivalent standards. We will be applying for Soil Association Accreditation once our suppliers have been fully certified
  • We always try to combine meetings so we travel less and waste less time
  • We use our local post office daily, which helps to ensure their survival
  • Packaging is either re-used or biodegradable. We ask that you do the same
  • All orders are bound with hemp twine
  • We try to encourage our customers to make group orders where possible
  • We try to communicate as much as we can electronically. Where we need to use paper we only use recycled stock.

 

Do you think we could do better? Then please let us know by dropping us a line at info@hempfabric.co.uk

Research Work

At Hemp Fabric UK we are always interested in researching the potential for Hemp and Hemp Fabrics. A certain part of each week is devoted it with a view to developing new fabrics and applications as well as taking the hemp industry into the next stage – growing and producing hemp fabric in the UK.

Projects 2007
During 2007 I have been involved with a project with Plymouth University, to develop waterproofing for hemp fabrics. It was felt that there were many potential uses for such a fabric if it could be developed.

The research so far shows some possible applications, although these are based on man made chemical compounds. The project has now finished but I am continuing with the research and will be looking into some natural eco friendly applications that would work well with the fabrics too.

Traditional waterproofing methods using animal fats are not suitable these days, but I am certain there is something out there that can be used, or developed. One route is to work out if hemp fabric could be woven in a similar way to Gortex. With this in mind I am planning another research project next year.

I am always looking for collaboration on such projects with people who have experience in chemistry, bio-mimicry and research or can provide financial backing. If you think you can help then please get in contact with me on info@hempfabric.co.uk

Planned Projects for 2008
We are currently applying for funding, along with North Devon Enterprise Agency and others to try to develop the growth and production of hemp fabrics within Devon.

Hemp is a plant that grows well in the UK, with a long tradition use. The problem is that the knowledge has been lost over time. It is bly felt that a locally grown, UK based hemp fabric would be the most eco friendly fabric I could offer.

If you are interested in getting involved or would like a copy of our report then please get in touch on info@hempfabric.co.uk.

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