Named after a dear friend of Margo's, the Ackroyd Blanket carries particular significance. The Ackroyd family holds close connections to the Wool Board, now British Wool, the organisation central to this project and includes a long line of Ackroyds who have shared the same name across generations.

This design is also a fitting tribute to Peter Ackroyd MBE, Chairman of the Campaign for Wool, who died in July 2026 after more than five decades championing wool and British textile manufacturing. His appointment as Chairman in January 2025 reflected more than fifty years of dedicated service to the wool and textile industry and a lifelong commitment to promoting wool as one of the world's finest natural fibres.

The design supports local sheep farmers and celebrates the full spectrum of colour that British wool can take.  Drawing on the tradition of Welsh blanket weaving with a nod to Fair Isle pattern-making, it is soft, bold and graphic, rooted in country living with a pop of neon.

Design development began on the studio looms, where macro motifs were hand woven across a deflected warp surface using Shepley yarns. This experimentation led to a process of patch-working patterns and structures, each element carefully curated before being reinterpreted on the jacquard looms in Lancashire.

This is a signature approach of Margo's — drawing on a 20-year archive of geometric forms to bring together traditional weaving and contemporary textiles.

Wool was chosen for its natural softness, sustainability and durability. October marks Wool Month, which celebrates this natural fibre and the industry behind it.

"I'm so proud to be able to support what we do so well in this country. I've been hand weaving with the Shepley yarns in my studio for my one-off artworks and it's been so lovely to use. It's really, really exciting to take this further and put it into production with an industrial weaving mill."

— Margo Selby

The Lancashire mill brought an unparalleled depth of knowledge to this project. Traditional weaving techniques, honed across generations, ensure every Ackroyd Blanket is woven to the highest standard. British design, British wool, British mills.