Loving Hands works alongside several major charites with
projects and challenges ongoing all the time. The charities we are working with
at the moment include:-
Loving Hands works alongside several major charites with
projects and challenges ongoing all the time. The charities we are working with
at the moment include:-
Baby Pack Project - This was set up in 2005 by an Africaana mum who was saddened to see tiny babies being carried back to their homes wrapped in nothing but sheets of newspaper. She vowed that she would make sure that every new baby got a pack of essentials so this would no longer happen. We help out by providing cloth nappies and wraps, knitted and crocheted cardigans, hats, mittens and bootees and donations of blankets, towels, babygros, vests, soap and small toys.
Blythswood Care - This is a wonderful organisation based in Scotland. They have asked us particularly to help out with donations of lap rugs, hats, scarves, gloves and warm clothing to help the elderly in the Eastern European countries where they send aid. We also give them second hand clothing, toys and bric a brac that is handed in to head office by local wellwishers.
Boobs for Breastfeeding! -
This is our most famous charity
project (and also the most photographed!). We were asked to make some of these
woolly mammaries as a favour by Tommee Tippee in exchange for donations of cloth
nappies and wraps for Baby Pack. We now make them all the time as Tommee Tippee
take these knitted boobies out to baby shows and let health professionals have
them for their breastfeeding classes in exchange for donations for Breast Cancer
Charity. We also make some for ladies who have had mastectomies and are
uncomfortable with the prosthetics that are given to them after operations. The
pattern for these is available from Lou at charityknitters@yahoo.co.uk.
British and International Sailors Society - Since 1818 this group has carried out a mission covering ports in many countries all over the world. They distribute over 15,000 hats to seafaring men each year while making sure they are well and safe. This year we have joined in to help them make this total even more in 2008. (Some foreign fishermen end up in our ports with no warm clothing at all having come from warmer countries, some of these men are also abandoned in ports by unscrupulous captains and turn to the Sailors Society for aid).
Burundi Bears - This project run by FacilitAid is now tackling the building of it's third school and has been asked to take on a fourth plus adding extra classrooms etc to many more schools in the Burundi area of South Africa. The schools were all destroyed during the Civil War and need to be replaced as soon as possible. To help with this FacilitAid ask volunteers to knit small bears (pattern available on our patterns page) which are sold by schoolchildren for £1 each. Each £1 pays for four bricks to help with the rebuilding of these schools.
Feed The Children - We make jumpers, cardigans and blankets for Feed The Children to send out to their projects all over the world. They have recently sent us a letter appealing for v neck school jumpers (royal blue, navy blue, maroon, bottle green, pink and yellow are the colours and they need sizes from 22" to 34" with an extra couple of inches added to the body and sleeve lengths) this will allow youngsters in countries like Kenya to attend school and get a decent education. They also need the same sizes in other jumpers and cardigans and blankets as it can get very cold even in the hottest countries when night falls.
Save The Children - We were led into this one by Paul O Gradys's appeal for knitted hats for newborns who were feeling the serious effects of cold nights. It has been added to our Summer Challenges for this year and the members have almost done half of this part of the challenge in less than three weeks!
We also assist many maternity hospitals with donations of
premature baby clothes, blankets and small toys for the SCBU's, we also provide
baby cardigans, hats etc to Labour Wards and Post Natal Wards as well. Recently
we have added several stitchers to our skill base. These lovely ladies are
producing burial gowns and angel pockets for tiny souls who do not survive.
(Most of these are made from donated wedding dresses - a wonderful way to
recycle and 'pay it forward').
Finally we make blankets for animal shelters and collect in towels, duvets, cot bumpers and old bedding to take over to help our furry friends :0)
So you see we are working with many wonderful charities all of them very worthwhile.
If you would like to join us then please email your details to Lou at charityknitters@yahoo.co.uk .