The Big Knit
Join us to knit little hats for innocent smoothie bottles and help raise money to support older people in Solihull!
The Big Knit is a partnership with innocent drinks which started in 2003. By asking Solihull's knitters to create little hats, the campaign raises funds to help us to be here for older Solihull residents who need help in later life, whether they are lonely, struggling with the cost of living, feel digitally excluded, or need our help in another way.
Our target is to receive 15,000 hats by 1 July 2025 - can you help us to reach it?
See below for how to send us your hats, or join our Knitting Drop-In to have a cuppa with us and chat to other knitters.
Join our community!
Join our brand-new Facebook group to stay up to date with the progress of the campaign, and share photos of your wonderful creations with others.
The Big Knit 2024/25
We are thrilled that the Big Knit is back, and even better, we will now receive 30p per hat - an increase from 25p in previous years!
The campaign is now officially underway, so please, grab your knitting needles and crochet hooks and get involved, helping to raise funds to enable us to provide much-needed services and support to older people in Solihull. Scroll down for patterns to suit a range of abilities.
Can you help us reach our target of 15,000 hats?!
Deadlines
We need your wool-power!
We have sent over 10,000 hats off to innocent, which is incredible. Thank you to everyone who has sent us hats already. However, we still have another 5,000 hats to go if we are to reach our 15,000 hat target.
The final deadline for this campaign is 1 July 2025. Please help us to reach our target before then, meaning £4,500 could be raised to help us to provide our services for older Solihull residents!
Getting your hats to us
If you'd like to come and knit with others, see the box below for details of our Knitting Drop-In Group.
If you are knitting at home or with a group somewhere else, you can post or drop* your hats to us at: Age UK Solihull, Lower Ground Floor, The Core, Solihull Central Library, Homer Road, Solihull, B91 3RG.
*If you go to the door at the bottom of the slope between the library and the entrance for cars to Touchwood Car Park and ring the bell for Age UK Solihull, someone will collect them from you.
Please leave your name and contact details so we can thank you at the end of the campaign!
You can also drop your hats to William H Painter Funeral Directors, who are kindly collecting hats for us during office opening hours (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). They are on Dovehouse Parade: 343 Warwick Road, Solihull B91 1BQ.
Or email us at fundraising@ageuksolihull.org.uk and we may be able to arrange to collect them from you.
Knit with us!
Join our Knitting Drop-in Group and have a cuppa with us and chat to other knitters. Come alone or with friends!
Every Thursday 1-3pm- Lower Ground Floor, The Core, Solihull Library, Solihull B91 3RG (see instructions above for how to find us)
- Free to attend (donations always welcome)
- No need to book - just turn up
- Hot drinks and knitting patterns provided
- Bring your own wool and needles (let us know if you need wool and we'll see what we can do)
Contact us on fundraising@ageuksolihull.org.uk or 0121 704 7842 if you have any questions.
Did you know two fifths of older people say the TV is their only friend? Loneliness can be a big problem in later life, and as many as 200,000 older people said they hadn’t spoken to friends or family for over a month.
Hats knitted for Age UK Solihull help us make a big difference to the lives of older people in Solihull. Each hat that you send to us raises 30p, and the money raised can help us to provide advice, support and friendship to older Solihull residents who need us.
The Big Knit can also bring people together to knit and have a chat with one another. Look for a local knitting group, or arrange a regular meet up with friends to have a natter while you knit!
If you’ve ever bought a smoothie or knitted a hat, thank you for being part of the Big Knit.
Download our patterns
Basic patterns
Intermediate patterns
Expert patterns
Want to know more?
Contact our Fundraising Team on 0121 704 7842 (leave a message) or email fundraising@ageuksolihull.org.uk
If your query relates to Winter Warmth contact 0121 704 8080.