CHESTER WOOL CO

Education Sponsorship + The Mirasol Project

Chester Wool has for many years been contributing towards the daily running costs of the Mirasol school in Peru. We are honored to be allowed to support this wonderful project. 

The idea behind the Mirasol Project is simple: To support the children of communities in Munani, Neque in Puno with their education through the Mirasol School contributors. 

Our Good friends, Kari Hestnes and Per Svendsen, former owners of Du Store Alpakka, visited Peru in 2006 and decided to visit the Peruvian highlands. They arrived at Mallkini Alpaca Ranch, owned by Michell y Cia. During their visit, they went on an excursion through the farm, where they met two children: Marisol and Alex, who were the children of one of our alpaca shepherds from Mallkini. 

Kari and Per were impressed by the charisma and simplicity of the children, especially Marisol. They found out about the living conditions of the Andean people, especially children. They recognized the conditions and the challenges that children had to face to attend school and study. They also were shocked to discover that children had to walk every day between 2 to 3 hours to reach their school and the same time to return home, regardless of whether it was a cold, rainy, or snowy day. 

Knowing these challenges, Kari and Per had the idea of building a house where children could stay from Monday to Friday and be closer to the school: this way they could also develop activities after school. They talked with the Michell family, who shared the same ideas and concerns. 

Michell y Cia transferred an area of 12,200 sq meters within their Alpaca Ranch to start with the Project. 

In 2007, construction of the Mirasol boarding school started, operating in April of the same year. Initially, it hosted children of all levels of education, from the areas of Mallkini, Munani, and Neque. In late 2007 and early 2008, the first stage of what now is Mirasol boarding school was built, initiating activities in March of the same year. 

Today, thanks to the committed support of several companies and individuals, the Mirasol Project hosts more than 62 primary students and 13 high school students. 

Northop Womens Football Sponsorship

We are proud to be sponsoring the Northop Hall Ladies and Girls FC Playing kit and the Player training kits for next season 2023-2024. Northop are currently the biggest all girls and ladies football club in North Wales and the 3rd biggest in Wales. This is a community club and registered charity that is run by a group of volunteers who all have the same goal to provide every girl or lady the opportunity to play football. 

We will be following them on their journey this season, and hopefully have plenty of photos to show you along the way!

This is not a social project a such, but it’s a heartening story. Often we asked for products to be made by the mill that are a bit outside of the box. Mini Skeins is one of them. One of the mill workers built some winding machines for his wife, and she set up a small company that currently employs 16 young women to make the mini skeins, it’s a super little company, and when we went to Peru to visit our mill we swung by to take a look at this operation. It was wonderful, and I feel really proud that our business can support such clever businesses, especially when it comes to employing women, who otherwise might not have other opportunities.

Andean Handspun yarn project.

Our Chunky handspun yarns were commissioned in conjunction with our mill in order to support a hand-spinning project in the highland communities in Puno. Combining the women's spinning skills with modern yarn designs has created these beautiful hand-spun yarns which are not only wonderful to dye and knit with but also provide these small highland communities with more trade, enabling them to maintain their way of life as it has been for generations.  By supporting this program we are helping to keep their skills alive and also the mountain villages themselves, where sheep and alpaca have been farmed for centuries, keeping families together by giving them the opportunity to earn money without having to move away from rural areas.  You can see pics and read more here.