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 and crocheters to create little hats, the campaign raises funds to help us support older people in Solihull who may be experiencing loneliness, struggling with the cost of living, feeling digitally excluded, or facing other challenges in later life.
We receive a 30p donation from innocent drinks for every hat that is sent to us, so each little hat adds up to make a big difference!
See below for how to send us your hats, or join our weekly knitting group to have a cuppa with us and chat to other knitters.
Join our community!
Join our Facebook group to stay up to date with campaign news, share photos of your creations and connect with fellow knitters.
The Big Knit 2026-28
The next Big Knit campaign is soon to kick off, 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.
We will receive 30p per hat, and each one adds up to make a big difference.
Can you help us reach our target of 15,000 hats?!
For our previous campaign, you wonderful woolly warriors created a whopping 13,243 hats, and we'd love to beat that this year.
Deadlines
We will be sending your hats off to innocent after the dates below, so please get your hats to us by then:
Deadline 1: Monday 25 January 2027
Deadline 2: Monday 26 April 2027
Deadline 3: Monday 26 July 2027
Deadline 4 (final deadline): Monday 6 October 2027
Please help us to reach our target, meaning £4,500 could be raised to help us to provide our services for older Solihull residents! For our previous campaign, you wonderful woolly warriors created a whopping 13,243 hats, and we'd love to beat that this year.
Hats will be put on innocent smoothie bottles and sold in shops in January/February 2028.
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 your hats to us at: Age UK Solihull, Solihull Fire Station, Streetsbrook Road, Solihull B91 1QY
Please leave your name and contact details so we can thank you and keep you updated on the campaign's progress!
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 friednly Big Knit 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 (please note the location will be chaging from 1 October - check this page or contact us for details)
- Free to attend (donations always welcome)
- No need to book - simply turn up
- Hot drinks, knitting patterns and wool provided. Just bring your own needles.
Contact us on fundraising@ageuksolihull.org.uk or 0121 704 7842 if you have any questions.
Why your hats matter
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 friendship, connection, new skills and other support to older Solihull residents who need us.
The Big Knit doesn't just raise funds – it also brings people together. Whether you knit at home, attend a local group, or join our Thursday drop-in sessions, every hat helps make a difference.
If you've ever knitted a hat, donated wool, attended a knitting group or bought a behatted innocent drink, thank you for being part of the Big Knit. We can't wait to see what our knitters achieve during the 2026–28 campaign.
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