The Big Knit
The Big Knit 2024-25 has now come to a close.
- In October 2024, we launched with an ambitious local goal of 12,500 hats.
- Announcing in May (2025) we had reached their target two months early.
- We reached an incredible total of 18,794 hats collected by the campaign end this July (2025) – exceeding our target by more than half.
What now?
The charity is fortunate to have the support of Gordy’s Wood, who will be ensuring no hat goes to waste. Gordy will be selling the additional 6,000+ hats alongside his handmade wooden snowies from his shop at Arreton Barns. For each snowy sold with one of AUKIW’s knitted hats, Gordy will donate £1 back to the charity. More information can be found on here.
About The Big Knit
Every year, a network of woolly warriors take up their knitting needles and crochet hooks as part of the innocent Big Knit in partnership with Age UK.
The Big Knit is Age UK's partnership with innocent drinks. We've been working together since 2003, asking the country's crafters to knit little hats for the tops of innocent smoothie bottles. Every hat knitted raises 30p to help Age UK provide much-needed services and support to older people.
How do I get involved?
We’d love you to knit lots of lovely little hats for this year’s Big Knit and whether you’re a knitting novice or a purling pro, it couldn’t be easier.
We have a range of knitting patterns form beginner to advanced that you can either download from our website or request a free pack sent out in the post.
Email: fundraising@ageukiw.org.uk
Phone: (01983) 525282
How do I hand over my hats?
Our office is based centrally on Newport, once your little knitted creations are ready, drop them off or post them to:
Age UK Isle of Wight
17 St Thomas' Square
Newport
PO30 1SL
If you would like the money raised by your hats to stay on the Isle of Wight, please DO NOT donate your hats to the Age UK Shops on the Island. Hats donated to the shops will support the wider Age UK Network and not Age UK Isle of Wight. We do no recieve funding from the shops.
It's always a good idea to enclose a note with your knitted hats to say who knitted them, how many there should be enclosed and how we can get in touch to thank you.
See a few of our featured patterns below.
You can find more on the Innocent Smoothies site HERE
Watch our video to see just how much this means to people like Jean and John:
Sending your hats back
If you've bought a hat on a smoothie and would like to send it back to be used again, you can pop it in the post to us or pop it in our letterbox when you next pass. We'll keep it safe and innocent will put it on another smoothie, to raise even more money for Age UK Isle of Wight.