Big Knit 2020-2022
Update - New Campaign Coming Soon!
We hope to launch a 2024 campaign soon. Please hang on to you hats and check back. Thank You for continuing to support Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by fundraising for us.
The current campaign has now ended.
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us to reach our target - we did it 15085 little hats!!! This will raise £3771.25 for us, a wonderful amount!
Can I still send hats in?
We can’t count any more hats towards this year’s campaign, so please hold on to your hats for now, and we’ll let you know when we’re able to receive hats again. We haven’t got a date confirmed for the next campaign, but we’ll be sure to let you know when we do. Please 'watch this space'!
When will hats be on bottles?
January-March 2023 - watch out and see if you can spot them 'in the wild'! They will be on top of innocent smoothie bottles in supermarkets across the country.
Update 01.09.2022: The current campaign has now ended.
Innocent Smoothies has extended the term of the Big Knit Campaign to 30th June 2022.
A number of things has lead to this decision but what it means for us is that we have extra time to reach our target of 15,000 little hats. As of today (5th October 2021) we have 9,000 so please keep knitting and help us to knit and crochet our way through another 6,000 hats!
As a result of the campaign extension, the hats will no longer be going on shelves atop the inncocent smoothies in Feb 2022, they will be in shops October/November 2022. 
We are very pleased to announce that the Big Knit is back!
What is Big Knit?
The Big Knit is a nationwide campaign that Age UK runs in partnership with innocent drinks where we ask you to knit little woolly hats which then go on to their smoothie drinks. For every smoothie sold, Age UK receives 25p. There are over 130 local Age UK's brand partners, of which Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is one, and all the partners may take part if they wish. In the past we have managed to contribute thousands of little hats to this campaign. The participation has delighted many and also rasied much needed funds for us. In the 2018/19 Big Knit campaign Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough collected 14,552 little hats, which raised an incredible £3,638 for us to help support local older people.
In 2020/21 the campaign was delayed. The pandemic in 2020 meant lots of knitting clubs and groups were unable to continue and we were unable to properly promote the campaign. Some individuals continued knitting at home and we have gratefully received these, waiting for the launch of the new campaign. This has now been confirmed - can we reach the same target by October 2021?! ** NOW EXTENDED TO JUNE 2022 **
We are aiming to knit 15,000 little hats locally, with the potential to raise £3,750.
Can you help us to achieve this target? If so, please ensure that you send the hats to us locally and not to the national Age UK charity, as we are a different charity. We are your local independent charity delivering local services to support local older people and their carers. We will not benefit from fundraising or donations that are sent to the national charity called Age UK.
How to get involved
We’d love you to knit lots of lovely little hats for our Big Knit campaign and whether you’re a knitting novice or a purling pro, it couldn’t be easier.
Download the knitting patterns below, make yourself a nice cup of tea, find a comfy chair and knit away!
Where to send your hats
Once your little knitted creations are ready, drop them off (covid restrictions permitting) or post them to:
Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, South Fens Business Centre, Fenton Way, Chatteris PE16 6TT
We'd love you to share your pictures and comments on our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AgeUKCAP/ please tag us @ageukcap and use #LittleCAPBigKnitter Thank you for your support.
How does the Big Knit help?
The money we raise from the Big Knit helps us be there for older people who have no one else to turn to – so those little hats really do make a big difference!
Watch Age UK video as an example to see just how much this means to people like Jean and John:
Could you be a Big Knit Ambassador volunteer for us? All you need to do is encourage knitting the little hats to your friends, family, neighbours, work place and in your community. Take a look at the role description here and get in touch.