Among the hype of the recent Royal Wedding it was good to unearth a story linking Bradford with the great event and waving the flag for remaining local wool textile expertise.

Whether or not the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge actually wore the special fine worsted and flannel cloth dyed, spun and woven from donated Australian merino wool by Bradford-based Bulmer & Lumb Group, to go away on honeymoon, is immaterial.

The fact that Bulmer & Lumb kept a royal appointment created a splash of publicity for the firm – and raised awareness of others that still process wool in these parts.

Of course, the royal link with wool is strong through Prince Charles’ patronage of the Campaign for Wool, which he launched to boost returns for sheep farmers (himself included).

The campaign, involving growers, processors, designers and retailers, goes global with a range of launches in major cities around the world this year. It already seems to be having an effect as wool prices continue to climb.

So much so, that Bradford merchants Curtis Wool Direct recently handed over the largest cheque for British wool bought at a single auction held by the city-based British Wool Marketing Board – for a cool £1.25 million.