WEBINAR

Emergency Care for Alpacas – what to do while awaiting a vet

By Helen Scott MRCVS

7pm | Tuesday 24th March 2026

Free to SWRAG members (or £10 to non-members)

A fantastic webinar for alpaca keepers, kindly sponsored by Dyfed Farm Vets and hosted by SWRAG.

This webinar aims to cover many of the situations that we may face as alpaca keepers, where we may need to assess and manage the immediate situation before we can get the vet on site. You may have time to do useful checks and administer some care before calling the vet or it may be one of those ‘O **** moments, where something potentially serious and time critical is happening.  This webinar aims to help you determine the best course of action you can most effectively take while awaiting the vet’s arrival.

Please note that this webinar will be focused on general alpaca care and birthing issues are not covered (that’s a whole webinar of it’s own!).

Some of the subjects covered:

• Emergency plan- vet contact details, herd identification, vet records etc.
• Wounds- minor and major
• digestive issues
• choke
• Poison 
• Suspected bone breaks
• Collapse
• What Checks would you go through with a recumbent alpaca, that you did not know the issue.
• Prolapse/ hernia – does this happen when not having cria?
• Alpaca first aid kit
• There will be time for questions at the end

Delivered by Helen Scott BVetMed CertAVP(CHP) GPCertVPS MRCVS  and Clinical Director.

Helen qualified from the Royal Vet College, London in 2008 and, after a year in large animal practice in Aberdeen, came to Wales in July 2009. Among other areas of large-animal practice, Helen specialises in Camelids and has many years of experience working with them.

Dyfed farm vets are the foremost practitioners for Alpacas in South Wales, located in Carmarthen.

ONLINE EVENT

SWRAG Members Meet Up

7pm | Tuesday 7th April 2026

Free & EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members

These QUARTERLY meet ups run for approx. 30-60 mins via Zoom and are a fantastic opportunity to chat about alpacas, share thoughts, information and ask any questions. All SWRAG members are welcome!

If you are a SWRAG member, simply head to the Members Area to access the Zoom link to join or hit the button below to become a member!

ONLINE EVENT

SWRAG Members Meet Up

LATER START at 8pm | Tuesday 7th July 2026

Free & EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members

These QUARTERLY meet ups run for approx. 30-60 mins via Zoom and are a fantastic opportunity to chat about alpacas, share thoughts, information and ask any questions. All SWRAG members are welcome!

If you are a SWRAG member, simply head to the Members Area to access the Zoom link to join or hit the button below to become a member!

ONLINE EVENT

SWRAG Members Meet Up

7pm | Tuesday 6th October 2026

Free & EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members

These QUARTERLY meet ups run for approx. 30-60 mins via Zoom and are a fantastic opportunity to chat about alpacas, share thoughts, information and ask any questions. All SWRAG members are welcome!

If you are a SWRAG member, simply head to the Members Area to access the Zoom link to join or hit the button below to become a member!

WEBINAR

Unlocking practical volunteer support for rural hosts through Work-for-Accommodation

By Far From Founder, Sarah Roberts

RECORDED ON: Thursday 29th January 2026

Free to SWRAG members (or £5 to non-members)

Far From connects smallholdings, farms and rural hosts with reliable volunteers who offer their time and skills in exchange for accommodation and the opportunity to experience your way of life. So, if you have a to-do list as long as your arm and can offer accommodation (such as a spare room, granny annexe, cabin, cottage or even a van pitch), this webinar is for you!

Find out how you could benefit from volunteer help such as:

• Daily tasks e.g feeding and mucking out
• Help with general husbandry
• Help at unpacking, lambing or kidding time
• Help at shearing time
• Fence and paddock maintenance
• Digital support e.g social media & website edits
• Home help
• General maintenance e.g gardening, painting & odd jobs

We will also cover:

• How the Far From platform works
• Who are the volunteers
• What to expect from a volunteer-to-stay partnership
• Why demand is rising, especially among mid-career travellers and early retirees seeking meaningful stays
• How hosts benefit, including access to practical help, support during off-peak periods, and better use of underused rooms or annexes.

IN-PERSON EVENT

SWRAG 2025 AGM & Social Mingle at Fostings Alpacas, Kinnerton, Presteigne, LD8 2PF

Saturday 27th September 2025

Free & EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members

A great opportunity to meet fellow SWRAG members, socialise and chat and at the same time see a working farm set up and of course alpacas!

• Meet the Committee
• Have your say on how SWRAG runs 
• Meet fellow SWRAG members and alpaca enthusiasts 
• Enjoy lunch 
• Take a tour of the farm 
• Take a peek into the farm’s glamping pods
• Plenty of time to chat and mingle

IN-PERSON EVENT

Crafting with Alpaca Fleece Workshop at Fancy That Alpacas, Moelfre, Carmarthenshire, SA20 0UW

Sunday 24th August 2025

Free & EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members

Ever taken a look at your fibre and wondered what you can do with it or what equipment you need? If yes, this is the workshop for you!

In the workshop we will be looking at multiple ways to use all your fibre exploring options with opportunities to try different crafts.

• Try out different tools for preparing fibre.
• Have a go at spinning with a drop spindle or wheel.
• Try weaving on a rigid heddle loom.
• Learn to wet felt. Make a phone case to take home and keep, using alpaca fibre and recycled sari silk. (Cost £8)

WEBINAR

Getting Started in Alpaca Trekking & Experiences

RECORDED ON: Wednesday 25th June 2025

Free to SWRAG members (or £5 to non-members)

Panellists with experience in the industry; Gavin (Stay Balanced), Angela (Sweet Home Alpacas), Lynne (Puzzle Tree Alpacas & Hayley (Smallholding Secrets) & hosted by Alice (Fostings Alpacas) discuss and share insights on the following topics:

• Finding your USPs (Unique Selling Points)
• Identifying your target customer base
• Facilities, start-up costs, and ROI
• Selecting animals
• Planning routes/activity areas
• Group sizing and staffing requirements
• Insurance cover
• Building an online presence, effective advertising and booking systems
• Dealing with the public
• Risk assessments

WEBINAR

Expecting Cria ? … Birthing Webinar by experienced Alpaca Vet, Sarah Finch

RECORDED ON: Tuesday 29th April 2025

Recording Available to purchase at £10 to SWRAG members (or £20 to non-members)

A fantastic opportunity to arm yourself with the necessary knowledge to enter this years birthing season. Whether it’s your first time or for an important refresher!

Sarah will talk us through:

• How to prepare for birthing
• What is normal
• How to spot when things are not right
• How to assist with difficult presentations
• When it is important to call the vet
• And finally early Cria care

WEBINAR

Practical Pasture Management for Camelids by Sharon Smith

RECORDED ON: Tuesday 15th April 2025

Free to SWRAG members (or £5 to non-members)

In this webinar we will be considering grass and land management to facilitate sustainable grazing by alpacas and llamas. Rather than a ‘how to’ list of instructions, we will be considering the soil, how pasture plants grow, and ideas for how to manage pasture to meet individual needs.

Topics to be covered:

• Alpaca and llama wellbeing on pasture
• Grass as feed
• Plant species variation / manipulation
• Soil science and chemistry

Sharon Smith is a masters graduate of the Royal Agricultural University where she studied equine nutrition and also pasture management. Sharon’s interest in pasture and grazing behaviour was reflected in her chosen dissertation topic: The quantification of grazing time in horses using accelerometry.

A certified equine behaviourist, Sharon co-founded the Equine Behaviour Affiliation which borrows models from human psychology with reference to evolved needs, in order to restore function and mental well-being. She co-authored ‘Applied Equine Psychology – the art and Science of helping Horses’, published by 5m.

She is also an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management and, in partnership with Rothamsted Research in Devon, she developed a cattle collar to automatically classify behaviours indicative of high mental well-being.

WEBINAR

Alpaca Skin Conditions… Not Always Mites But Always Frustrating! by experienced alpaca vet, Sarah Finch BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS

RECORDED ON: Tuesday 11th March 2025

Recording Available to purchase at £10 to SWRAG members (or £20 to non-members)

Sarah aims to demystify the topic of skin care and help you manage cases in a logical and practical manner giving the best outcome for our much loved animals.

The Webinar will aim to answer the following questions: 

• Is it Mites or Not ? If so, which mites? Does it matter? 
• If it’s NOT mites! What else could it be? 
• What treatments are available ? When do I use each treatment and what does it do? 

About Sarah 

Sarah qualified in 2012 and moved back to her roots in Cornwall to work as a mixed animal vet. In 2020 she went part-time as a farm vet and established TheHumanVet limited, to offer camelid consultancy and training, having developed a passion in this area of veterinary medicine. 

Sarah and her husband also run their own farm and offer curriculum based educational visits for students. In July they welcomed baby Chloe, who is already growing her alpaca herd! 

WEBINAR

Biosecurity for Alpacas by Helen from Alpaca Power

RECORDED ON: Tuesday 21st January 2025

Free to SWRAG members (or £5 to non-members)

Why not get 2025 off to a great start by improving or implementing the biosecurity measures on your holding?

The Practical Biosecurity webinar will cover how to achieve effective biosecurity to safeguard your animals. What biosecurity really means in practice, why we need it and how to achieve it are included. It will also cover disinfection, isolation units and animal management tips with biosecurity in mind. If you are looking to improve or implement effective biosecurity measures on your farm and would like some guidance, then this webinar is for you.

Delivered by Helen Macdonald of Alpaca Power, RVN and alpaca breeder of 22 years, who has in-depth knowledge and experience of implementing and advising on effective biosecurity measures. 

ONLINE EVENT

SWRAG Christmas Quiz

7pm | Tuesday 3rd December 2024

Free & EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members

Play solo or team up for the annual Christmas Quiz! We will be tested with 7 rounds (each with 10 questions) on alpacas, animals, sports, comedy, music, nature & agriculture and of course Christmas. So get your Santa hats on, grab a glass of mulled wine and clear your diary for 90 minutes of quiz mania! All SWRAG members are welcome!

IN-PERSON EVENT

SWRAG AGM & ‘From Birth to Birthing’ Workshop with Kate Brookes from Mullacott Alpacas

EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members

10:30am – 4pm | Sunday 6th October 2024 | Usk Valley Alpacas, Cobbler’s Plain, Chepstow, NP16 6NS

Cost: £10 per person

A great opportunity to support and help develop your regional group, meet other alpaca owners in your area, and take part in a fantastic workshop too!

10:30am – 12:30pm | SWRAG AGM
Meeting agenda to follow soon!

12:30pm – 1:30pm | Lunch
Light lunch and refreshments will be provided

1:30pm – 4pm | WORKSHOP: From Birth to Birthing
Your Alpacas journey through the early years & tips on how to produce calm, confident alpacas. Hosted by Kate Brookes from Mullacott Alpacas, one of the most experienced alpaca owners and trainers in the country!

The workshop will cover:

•⁠  An afternoon of handling, demonstrations and discussion
• Early cria handling
• Halter introduction 
•⁠  Leading and walking
•⁠  Handling for examinations and treatments 

WEBINAR

Glamping with Alpacas by Alice from Hush Hush Glamping

RECORDED ON: Thursday 26th September 2024

Cost: FREE to SWRAG members (or £5 to non-members)

Alice and her partner, Kevin, created and run Hush Hush Glamping in Mid Wales alongside their alpaca herd; Fostings Alpacas. This webinar will offer an insight into the day to day running of a glamping site, the hiccups and successes along the way, and how alpacas fit into the picture. 

The webinar will cover:

•⁠  An intro to Hush Hush Glamping – who we are and what we offer
• The process of opening (including planning application process, choosing the type of accommodation, budget, goals)⁠ 
•⁠  How alpacas fit in with the glamping & guest interaction
•⁠  Difficulties and what we would have done differently
•⁠  Successes and what works really well

IN-PERSON EVENT

Fleece Products Workshop with Hayley at Baytree Alpacas

10:30am – 3:30pm (ish) | Saturday 31st August 2024

Cost: FREE & EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members (there will be a small cost on the day if you use some of their yarn)

Join us for a day of exploring the potential of your fleece at Smallholding Secrets (Baytree Alpacas). There are many options for your fleece and this is a chance to consider what might work for you and have a look at some equipment, such as in the below list, and even try your hand at them too!

Try your hand at:

•⁠  Wool picker
•⁠  Hand carders
•⁠  Drum carder
•⁠  Rigid heddle loom
•⁠  Peg loom
•⁠  Spinning wheel

You will also have a chance to look at some products produced by a mill for Smallholding Secrets. If you do anything with your fleece, bring it along, and your equipment if possible, to show the potential. This is a real opportunity to share knowledge, thoughts, ideas and experience.

Lunch will be bring and share!

WEBINAR

Alpaca Colour Genetics – Demystifying the Black Magic, presented by Tom Scott from Dark Sky Alpacas

RECORDED ON: Tuesday 18th June 2024

Cost: FREE to SWRAG members (or £5 to non-members)

There are 22 different alpaca colours and various patterns. What if you could significantly improve the odds of breeding your preferred colour… Alpaca Genomic Colour Testing is the answer!

Tom Scott from Dark Sky Alpacas (the developer of the Dark Sky Genie) will help us understand the basics of colour testing and promises to make it fun, interesting and only use user-friendly language; there will be no scientific mumbo jumbo.

The webinar will cover:

•⁠  ⁠The basics of colour genetics in alpacas
•⁠  ⁠How a cria’s colour is inherited
•⁠  How we can all practically use colour testing in our own breeding programmes including a demo of the Dark Sky Genie

There will be lots of opportunity for questions too.

IN-PERSON EVENT

Birthing Course with Tyndale Vets

9:30am – 4pm | Friday 12th April 2024 | In-person Course at Puzzle Tree Alpacas (Risca)

Cost: £95 per person (Initial places are EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members)

This is a fantastic opportunity to arm yourself with the necessary skills to enter this years birthing season. Join us at Puzzle Tree Alpacas (Risca) for a full day of mixed theory and practical on birthing, presented by Emily Singer-Ripley the lead Camelid vet at Tyndale Vets.

• How to prepare for birthing
• What is normal
• How to spot when things are not right
• How to assist with difficult presentations, with simulators for everyone to have a practice
• When it is important to call the vet
• And finally early Cria care

Places are limited to allow everyone a chance to get good hands on experience.

WEBINAR

Nutrition Webinar presented by Claire Whitehead, The
Alpaca Vet

“We feed the bugs and the bugs feed the Alpacas!!”

8pm | Tuesday 26th March 2024

Cost: £15 to SWRAG members (or £25 to non-members)

• Understanding the mystery of the camelid gut
• What should we feed
• What should we not feed
• Why we feed what we do
• There are lots of suitable alternatives – or are there?? 
• Supplements – why, what and how much
• Increase your confidence in the choices you make when feeding your alpacas

WEBINAR & IN-PERSON WORKSHOP

Faecal Egg Count Workshop

7pm | Tuesday 27th February 2024 – Preparatory Webinar on Zoom
AND
10:30am – 3:30pm | Saturday 9th March 2024 – In-person Workshop at Puzzle Tree Alpacas (Risca)

Free & EXCLUSIVE to SWRAG members

If you are doing your own faecal egg counts (FECs) to check for parasites, or want to learn how to get started – this is for you!

We will be discussing the basics of how to get started with FECs and comparing testing methods and results.

Any members attending the in-person workshop are also welcome to join the theory overview on 27th February to discuss and prepare in readiness for the practical.

This event is a casual sharing of knowledge and experience between members (not officially tutored), but we feel it will still be hugely beneficial for both those new to and well practiced at FECs.

WEBINAR

A Trek Through Our Alpaca Experience and What We Have Learned Along the Way by Doug Steen

RECORDED ON: Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Free for SWRAG members

This will be a fascinating tour with someone who has, over the years, developed an incredible wealth of knowledge on Alpacas and Llamas. Doug has had alpacas at his farm, Teesdale Alpacas, since 2007.

He has been on the BAS board for a number of years and advised about alpaca welfare. He has also been awarded the Benavides trophy for his work on camelid welfare by the combined camelid organisations BAS, BLS and BCL.

Many of you will have seen Doug’s responses to questions on Social Media like Alpaca Chat UK where he is very generous with his experience and expertise. This is a great opportunity to be inspired, informed and to ask any questions that you might have of someone with such a breadth of experience.

QUIZ & PARTY

Christmas Zoom Party

Dec 5, 2023 07:00 PM

What’s involved

• Come along in your best Christmas jumper / and or hat and bring a drink and some festive Nibbles.
• Be prepared to have fun, answer some typical Christmas quiz questions with some special “alpaca rounds of knowledge” thrown in as well as Christmas music and other traditional Christmas things! There will be a prize for the zoom team with the most points.
• Your herd name will be your team name.

LIVE EVENT

Alpaca Fleece and Conformation Assessment Practice Session

3rd December 11:00 – 16:00

What You’ll Learn

• Conformation, looking at some animals on the farm – What is considered correct and what is really important to watch out for!
• Fleece assessment on the animal
• Fleece assessment on a skirting table, using the absolute method they use at fleece shows
• We will discuss what traits we like from different fleece and why
• What balance of fleece traits and conformation would make us want to buy/sell a specific alpaca

WEBINAR

Shearing and Fleece – what you need to know! with Scott Harding “The Alpaca Shearer”

RECORDED ON: 18th April 2023

What You’ll Learn

• How to prepare your animals for shearing
  What to expect on shearing day and how to ensure things run smoothly
• The quality of your fleece and taking fleece samples
• Following shearing, I have all this fleece, what are my options?

WEBINAR

Alpacas as a Business – Walking / Trekking and Experiences with Clara Boulton of Natterjack Alpacas

27th June 2023

What You’ll Learn

• Introducing halters and early walking
• Advancing your training and socialising
• Overcoming hiccups!
• Licensing, inspections and insurance
• Practical advice on day to day running of the business
• Alternative experiences for those with varying facilities
• What revenue we can expect

WEBINAR

Now we have sheared – what is next? with Emma Taylor from East Anglia Alpaca Mill

What You’ll Learn

• What part of your fleece are accepted at the mill and for what process
• How to prepare your fleece to send
• What options are available for processing
• Suggestions for using parts of your fleece that are unsuitable for processing
• Q & A