Heart of England Alpaca Group Spring Fiesta 2024

Welcome to the Heart of England Alpaca Group, a membership organisation which unites alpaca owners and fans across the central counties of England, including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire and Warwickshire.

Our extensive regional coverage means that we represent an incredible and diverse group of individuals and alpaca businesses with a wide range of experience of this unique and beautiful breed of animals.

With a strong community of committed and passionate alpaca owners, the Heart of England Alpaca Group is able to provide advice, support and learning.

We also host two of the UK’s largest alpaca events, the Spring Alpaca Fiesta which takes pace at the end of April, and the Autumn Fleece Show in October – these major calendar dates are the highlight of our year and bring together old friends and new faces who are unified by their love of beautiful alpacas.

Alpacas are an amazingly intelligent, gentle and endearing breed of animal which are a joy to experience, spend time and work with. A member of the Camelid family, there are two domesticated species, the alpaca and the llama, plus two wild species, the vicuna and guanaco. Alpacas originate from the high altiplano of South America.

Famed for their fleece – more refined than cashmere – which comes in a spectrum of 22 natural colours, this fibre is strong and hardwearing and can be used in a wide range of textiles including clothing, soft furnishings, beddings and carpets.

Alpacas are a herd animal and should be kept in a group with a minimum of three animals. Females deliver one baby per year, a cria, with a gestation of 11.5 months. Gelded males are called wethers and have a protective nature, often guarding lambs and chickens on a mixed-breed smallholding from foxes.

Provided shelter is available, alpacas can live outside year-round with a simple diet of grass and hay, with a supplemented feed for extra vitamins and minerals. Easily trained, these curious, sociable animals are a delight to enjoy.