The Big Knit

Woolly warriors are needed in Portsmouth for the innocent Big Knit

The innocent Big Knit campaign has returned and Age UK Portsmouth is calling on the knitters and crocheters of Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire to get their knitting needles out to help raise urgent funds for older people most in need.

This is the 18th year that innocent has been running the Big Knit in partnership with Age UK and woolly warriors are needed again this year to craft some little hats to sit on innocent smoothie bottles. For each be-hatted smoothie sold, Age UK receives 25p, which will help the Charity make a big difference to the lives of older people.

With many of us spending lots of time at home at the moment it’s a great opportunity for stitching superstars to get crafting, or for knitting newbies to grab some needles and give it a whirl. The pandemic has had a huge impact on older people over the past year so Age UK is in need of these little hats more than ever to help raise funds for its vital services.

Dianne Sherlock, Chief Officer of Age UK Portsmouth said: “We need the people of Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire to join us and help knit as many miniature hats as possible to help us hit our 2,000 target. It’s been a challenging time for everyone, but this is a really fun campaign to get involved in and it’s a great activity to do whilst we’re all spending more time at home.

“The money raised from these little hats will make a big difference to the lives of older people in our area, many of whom have been badly affected by the pandemic. Every hat knitted will help to fund our hugely important services, including Befriending and Information and Advice.”

Katie Simpson, Head of Brand at innocent drinks, said: "We’re delighted to be working with Age UK on the Big Knit once again. After a hard year, we want to make this campaign as big as possible so we can help more older people than ever. We’re incredibly grateful to all the heroic volunteers helping us get there.”

For more information on The Big Knit contact Age UK Portsmouth on 023 9286 2121 or visit www.ageuk.org.uk/bigknit. Please send completed hats to Age UK Portsmouth at Age UK Portsmouth, The Bradbury Centre, 16-18 Kingston Road, Portsmouth PO1 5RZ.

There are six exciting new hat designs for this year, including a rainbow, rabbit, cupcake, pom pom, fox and bird. These knitting and crochet patterns are available to download. To find out more visit: www.ageuk.org.uk/bigknit or www.thebigknit.co.uk.