THE PRINCE of Wales has given the royal seal of approval to a Guiseley wool company by praising it in a national newspaper.

In an article in the Daily Telegraph Prince Charles extols the virtues of wool and makes special mention of Abraham Moon.

The Prince, who visited the company in 2015 said: "Over the course of the past year, I have been delighted to visit some splendid British wool success stories. Abraham Moon and Sons, based in Guiseley, Leeds, has doubled turnover in the last five years. In the Harris Tweed industry, production is up from 450,000 metres in 2009 to more than 1.2 million metres today."

He adds: "More generally, it has been enormously encouraging to see the extent to which the UK’s wool-textile manufacturers have adopted local sourcing of yarns and fabrics."

A spokesman for the company said: "We were thrilled to be once again mentioned by HRH The Prince of Wales in his recent article on the many benefits of wool, and glad to see he remembers his 2015 visit here so fondly. Our own growth has continued into 2016, and with the focus on British quality and heritage still going strong we’re keen to keep pushing ourselves coming into our 180th anniversary next year."

Prince Charles chatted and joked with mill workers during his visit to the Netherfield Road site last year.

The prince was treated to a full tour of the historic premises. The firm, established in 1837, has continued to thrive while many other companies have been forced to close.

Prince Charles was presented with gifts including some Commonwealth Tweed - made from 'Commonwealth Wool' from four different countries.

The Guiseley site is the last mill of its kind in England, where raw wool is turned into finished fabric.

Its customer list includes major international brands such as Burberry, Paul Smith, Ralph Lauren, Laura Ashley and Marks and Spencer. It also supplies Prince Charles’ own, fundraising, Highgrove shop.

Writing in the Telegraph Prince Charles says: "Natural materials that do not require fossil fuels to make them and that can be recycled endlessly are going to be more important than ever as we face up to the challenges of climate change."

On its website the company says: "Wool is well-known to be strong and resilient. Wool fibre can be bent 20,000 times without breaking and still have the power to recover; it will however naturally biodegrade when the time comes."