Dorset village of Wool should change its name to Vegan Wool, animal rights group Peta claims

Residents ridicule letter to parish council suggesting ‘animal-friendly update’

The village of Wool is referred to as ‘Welle’ in the Domesday Book of 1086 (PA)

Its name has been Wool for more than 1,000 years, but now an animal rights group has called on the Dorset village to change its name to “Vegan Wool” to take a stand against cruelty to sheep.

Peta made the request in a letter to the parish council, in which they also offered to supply every household in the parish with a blanket made out hemp, cotton or banana bark if they agreed.

Villagers ridiculed the suggestion – with many pointing out that Wool’s name derives from the old English word for well or spring rather than any association with animals.

They also raised concerns that campaigners could target other well-known names such as Hampshire, Cheddar Gorge and Lamborghini.

“The name Wool should remain as it is, the idea of renaming the village is utterly ridiculous,” wrote Jayne Merchant on the Wool parish clerk’s Facebook page. ”The most idiotic idea I have come across in a long time.”

Valerie Leak added: “Just suppose this ‘hare’-brained scheme went ahead, would Peta fund the costs of altering everything connected to the name because I rather doubt that a community without a village policeman, an underfunded medical centre and substandard roads and pavements is in a position to pay for it?”

The letter suggesting the name change, which Peta described as an “animal-friendly update”, will be discussed at the next meeting of the parish council in December.

“With a simple name change, your village can take a stand against this cruelty and remind everyone that it’s easy to stay warm and be warm-hearted to sheep by choosing vegan wool and other animal-free materials,” it reads.

One of the charity’s directors, Elisa Allen, said the group came up with the idea after failing to get much media attention for their campaign highlighting cruelty to sheep in the wool industry.

“We saw this as opportunity to spread the message,” she said. “We are hoping people are going to our website, watching our investigations into the British wool industry and turning their back on the trade.

“When we found out the village was called Wool we could not resist.”

Resident Anne Vincent disagreed: “The name Wool has nothing to do with sheep. It comes from the Saxon word for spring.”