Knitting For Charity: March/April 2021

We round-up the causes who need a little help from our wonderful knitting community this month! We’d love to know if you knit for any of the charities below and we’d be interested in hearing about the other charities on your radar over the coming months.

Heartfelt Hugs
aHug is a charity that provides beautiful comforter scarves to cancer patients. Though the pandemic has meant that they are unable to continue donating to hospitals as they normally would, the charity is still accepting knitting and crocheted comforters that are sent to any cancer patient who requests one through their shop, or to local cancer charity outlets. Any excess supplies they receive can be bought, with all the profits going to cancer charities – they’re the perfect gift for those you really want to give aHug to right now. Visit ahug.co.uk for more information.

The Wellbeing Octopus
The #KnitWellbeing2021 campaign aims to spread the word of wellbeing among children, particularly during lockdown. Calamari SHANARRI the Wellbeing Octopus is a knitted toy with colourful legs that remind children of important wellbeing values such as respect, achievement and inclusion. Hundreds of Calamari SHANARRI’s have already been knitted and shared with children in churches, local community groups, primary schools and nurseries. It’s an ideal pattern to use up all those small amounts of yarn lying around, or if you’re a knitting newbie. To find the pattern, plus handy video guides and more information, visit startatthebeginning.co.uk

Brilliant Blankets
WCF Knitters are looking for volunteers to knit or crochet squares to be made into blankets as part of their ‘Knit for Community’ project. These blankets are being used to support five different charities, including Action Homeless, Meadows Hope food bank, Small Acts of Kindness, Glass Door and Smart Move. In November, they auctioned 30 blankets, plus two ‘special’ blankets in the colours of Leicester City FC and Leicester Tigers RFC, raising over £4,000, plus additional donations totalling more than £6,000 to be split between the charities. For more information, visit frameworkknitters.co.uk

Francis House Easter Chick Appeal
At this time of year, Francis House hospice traditionally sells thousands of donated knitted or crocheted chicks filled with a tasty chocolate egg as part of their annual fundraising. Like so many charity events, the Easter Chick Appeal has had to be scaled back this year, with many regular outlets closed. However, you can support this year’s campaign without sending in your chicks, by knitting and filling your chicks to sell (where safe to do so) and send in the funds raised. Please visit francishouse.org.uk for more about their caring work and where to send your donations.