No-wash socks get an airing at Show

When the Devon County Show opens on May 19 at Westpoint, Exeter, visitors with cheesy feet are likely to be hot footing it to the Angora goats feature.

For Show Steward and Angora goat farmer Steve Whitley is producing a line of odour resistant socks which he claims don’t smell and don’t need frequent washing.

He said the fleeces of angora goats do not trap smelly bacteria in the same way as scalier wool or cotton fibres, and his mohair socks can be worn for as much as a year without washing.

"Our customers started owning up to the fact that they could wear them for days without washing – and then days became weeks," said Steve, who with his wife Jenny have been producing Angora socks for 25 years from their Corrymoor Farm in the Blackdown Hills.

“Our daughter Lucy wore her pair for seven months without washing them when she was in India taking part in an aid project. It was particularly appropriate as it was a sanitation project and water was scarce.

“But her record was beaten by the leader of an orchestra who boasted that he’d had his for a year without washing them,” continued Steve, who admits to wearing his socks around the farm for up to a fortnight.

Mohair, shorn from angora goats, is prized in the fashion world for its strength, warmth and resilience. Less well known is that the wool is highly absorbent and prevents bacterial build-up by drawing sweat away from the skin.

The goats are shorn twice a year and the mohair fleeces are used to make scarves, jumpers, throws and, most importantly, socks. However, it was only relatively recently that Steve and Jenny realised their socks have ‘superpowers’.

Steve is bringing their best Angora goats to the Show to compete in some of the many hundreds of livestock classes.

He is also bringing Marilyn, who was hand-reared by his family after being abandoned by her mother, along with fleeces and his trade stand. The feature is situated beside the cattle showing rings.

The 121st Devon County Show takes place on May 19-21 at Westpoint, Exeter and will treat visitors to the best of food, farming and entertainment all in one day.

“From early in the morning to late at night the showground is packed with all sorts of action,” added the Show Secretary Ollie Allen. “We’re all proud to be Devon and the Show celebrates the very many unique qualities which make this county such an incredible place to live and work.”

Tickets are available from selected outlets and online www.devoncountyshow.co.uk