Long time Open Arms supporter, Eira Harris, and a group of a dozen friends meet up each week at their local library in Werrington near Peterborough to ‘knit and natter’ over a cup of tea.
Early last year Eira had the novel idea of challenging the ladies to lend their energy, enthusiasm and knitting skills to assist in fundraising for Open Arms. A pattern was produced and the group ‘cast on’ to begin knitting a clutch of adorable ‘Easter Chicks’, each designed to hold a Cadbury’s Cream Egg. The charming chicks were subsequently sold for just one pound each, resulting in an impressive £230 being raised for Open Arms.
In February this year, Eira again sought the help of the group, determined, if possible, to improve upon last year’s effort. And what a triumph resulted! With the clickety-clack of needles, the devoted ladies’ handiwork resulted in 720 chicks being knitted.
The chicks’ appeal soon spread far and wide… and in no time they had captivated the hearts of the local community and been taken under the wing of the local surgery, the school library, local Brownie packs, Environment Agency offices, several hairdressers and convenience stores, the postal sorting office, as well taken into the homes many local residents. Some even ended up as far as Scotland, Wales, Germany and New Zealand!
With total of 453 eggs, plus all of the wool, being generously donated, this lead to the fantastic sum of £679.50 being raised to support our work.
The difference these funds will make is immense. Here in the UK we take for granted that all children will receive a high standard of education free of charge. Not so in Malawi. Whilst education is available at no charge, the average class size in a government school is 110 pupils and there is often little or no equipment available to support them with learning. Our goal is for all our children in foster care to receive a private education and have opportunity to pursue their dreams in life and fulfil their potential. £600 enables us to cover one year’s tuition at a local private school for two of our children. What an amazing gift this presents.
We would like to thank all the ladies who took part in this heartfelt project and hope the chicks brought a little sunshine into the lives of their new owners.
Do you have a hobby that could be turned into a fundraising idea? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Judith Rudolph and see how your idea could help transform the lives of the children we care for.
Your donation will help children in Malawi grow up healthy with the love of a family
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