First of all, the most enormous thank you, seriously heartfelt and huge. None of this happens without you. This review is a celebration of YOU and all your hard work, care and compassion over the last twelve months!
It’s that time again, a review of the last frenetic twelve months here in our woolly world! It is so important in this busy world to sometimes stop, refresh, renew and reflect. As always it has been a mad and full on time. The wonderful woolly hug crew never fail to amaze. It is genuinely humbling and awe inspiring at the response from everyone. So much compassion, generosity, LOVE and care, truly it feels boundless. Crafters and donors what you do is incredibly special and precious, giving woolly warmth comfort to others. Incredible. We never take any of this for granted. Thank you.
As last year, we are still processing the Poland trip with the visiting Ukrainian children and the refugee families, we were still there (at time of writing) less than 3 weeks ago. Exhausting and emotional yes, but our main take away is inspiration, to do more, be more, so glad we could be there. Thank you to the CCLL for letting us tag onto their trip. We feel the message of HOPE is central. More of this project later…
It was absolutely marvellous to be able to continue to tour the country with our Hugathons, and so fantastic to meet so many of you again. Our Hugathons are a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow Woolly Huggers who share a love of crafting. They are friendly and inclusive. It is a great time for chatting with your fellow Woolly crew and sharing ideas. Plus Woolly Bingo! What’s not to love?!
We loved our sea front trip to Brighton in January, it certainly blew away any cobwebs!
Then onto York in March, where Little Tortie had Viking aspirations. Bless him, he’s far more of a sofa dweller to be a Viking..
We had the most beautiful day in the shadow of Lulworth Castle at our May Dorset Hugathon, the weather was simply glorious and we had lambs in the fields all around. We even had outdoor crafting! Thank you to lovely Sophie for giving us this glorious venue!
We always love our trip to Edinburgh and it was an Autumnal one this year. We always draw a great crowd in Edinburgh and this year even managed to draw Charles and Camilla, with their entourage of nine million soldiers. There was some talk of them being there to attend the special 25th anniversary celebration at the Scottish Parliament, with a procession down the Royal Mile to Holyrood, but we know better. It was all about wanting to come play Bingo in truth. Which we did to a backdrop of bagpipes! But without them.
And then and this feels like 5 minutes ago we were off for our Christmas Hugathon to Manchester! Such a super time UP NORTH ( love to say this as it drives folk nuts)
Our first Hugathon of 2025 is in Birmingham, and is already a sell out, and we are very excited to be holding our first Brum Hugathon. There are others planned, we go to Southampton in March, then further plans are afoot. We hope to see as many of you there at a Hugathon next year as possible!
2024 saw the continuation of our Ongoing projects. Each really is going from strength to strength. It is wonderful to have such a range because it allows crafters to pick the most appropriate/relevant/most interesting to them. From here in the UK to as far away as Ukraine and Poland, children and families feeling love, warmth, support and comfort through our crafting. That really is quite something.
Our most recent drop off was at The Royal Marsden with a large collection of Christmas Cwtches, taken by lovely Lucy J.They are going to share across their (getting the names of the ‘wards’ right) the Oak Centre for Children and Young People which includes:
McElwain Ward (age 1-16)
Teenage Cancer Trust Unit (age 16-24)
Outpatient and Day Care Unit.
TCTU were telling Lucy how much the young people love these blankets. One of the staff says she always lays one on the bed ready for someone coming for their first admission as it looks much more welcoming than the hospital bedding. Isn’t that such a lovely idea.
We are ready to deliver some non Christmassy teen blankets in January.
More Christmas Cwtches went to our friends at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. We know how much they are loved by the children and families during that bleak challenging time of being seriously ill and in hospital over the festive period. This was the whole collection, thank you so much everyone, absolutely stunning effort! This project will continue in exactly the same form in 2025
Our Hand Knits for Care Leavers‘ project was another triumph, even more beautifully knitted sets than last year, and that is saying something, these just a few to show how beautiful they are. There was a wonderful collection of baby/toddler clothing too.This project will continue into 2025, all info here. We know our hookers are keen for a crochet pattern, but you must remember this isn’t one of our own projects, we are joining in someone else’s and that means we have no control. So apologies for this, but it remains a knitting project.
This has been the sixth year of our Snugs for Looked after children project, our aim is to make blankets for children and young people (0-16years) who are being looked after in the foster care system. We make these children something permanent, that they can take with them wherever they are. As always it was a wonderful response. The Snugs going this year to Middlesbrough and the wider Portsmouth area. This wonderful project continues into 2025 with a new (and aligned to Chernobs) palette. All info in the weblink. Thank you!
Our Candy’s Hug project, now into its ninth year goes from strength to strength. Our aim there has always been to make comforting cosy blankets with love in every stitch for women going through treatment for breast and other cancers, at times forming part of palliative care. It’s a project of love and strength, of friendship, of creativity, of coming together to show compassion, support and give and receive comfort. Its a wonderful collaborative project, folk sending individual squares. Each blanket comes from so many. We miss Candy but are so glad her legacy lives on
Our Little Hug project continues apace. It is our biggest overall project. More than a thousand blankets of all sizes have gone out this year alone. Our Little Hug project supports children of all ages from birth to teens and their families at The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and for teenagers in ICU at Great Ormond Street and the Teen and children Cancer wards at the Royal Marsden and those transferred on to St George’s, Tooting. We also support the NICU at John Radcliffe in Oxford. We do send on request to individuals too. It is a very special thing to be able to do for the whole family. Knit, crochet, fabric – all equally welcomed here.
Our Angel Hug project for bereaved families at both Glasgow maternity and the Haven House Hospice, London continue, heartfelt thanks to all who support this. Thinking of all the families in Glasgow, London and the surrounds who have received our Angel Hugs and Teds in incredibly bleak and devastating times. Love in every stitch we say and it really is true. These blankets are so precious and beautiful inside and out.
Our Peony Project for elderly care in Newcastle has had a very successful second year, we are now sending both blankets and twiddlemuff/sensory toys etc. This project continues into next year in exactly the same format.
I just wanted to drop a quick email to say a huge thank you for the beautiful lap blankets and big blankets we have received from yourselves.
I can’t express enough gratitude for all the work you guys put into these creations.
We are very grateful, they make alot of elderly people happy and comfortable.
Thank you again
So wonderful to be able to help here, thank you!
Our Refugee project and Kinship project have both been quieter this year, but both are still ticking along. Some refugee blankets went along with Snugs to support unaccompanied child asylum seekers are in the foster care system. This was a wonderful thing to be able to do. And we have sent several kinship blankets out this year too. Again, it is such a lovely thing to have ready for a time of need.
We started a new project in 2024 creating bonding squares and hearts to support the wonderful work of the NW neonatal transport team – Connect NW (www.connectnw.baby) who cover the 21 neonatal units of the NW Operational Delivery Network (NWNODN) – made up of Greater Manchester, Lancashire & S.Cumbria and Cheshire & Mersey Neonatal Networks.
They are consistently one of the busiest neonatal transport teams year on year carrying out in the region of 150+ transfers a month and an average of 2000 a year!
This fabulous team have heard of our work with the (equally fabulous) Cambridge team and would like something very similar. Their team ‘colour’ is purple so they are thinking along the lines of some purple themed bonding squares, and also some purple hearts for them to leave with mums when they transfer their babies. You can see how comforting that would be. Very special at a time of incredible anxiety.
Thank you so much!
Have attached a picture of a recent educational boards I did at base for world prematurity day on Nov 17th … featuring your lovely bonding squares & hearts which thought you might like to see … they’re going to good use
And if this wasn’t enough, together we very recently sent £500 to Parkinson’s UK through our Christmas Craft Sale, with over £4000 going to support our ongoing projects, and earlier in the year held a wonderful Spring Sale, funds from which directly went into supporting our Chernobyl Project, raising £2792.14!. We LOVE seeing how crafty folk are away from wool and including wool. Folk are so thoughtful and generous! We are eternally grateful to all who wave pompoms, craft, donate and buy. The funds really really help. THANK YOU!!!!!
Just the smallest sample!
Festivals! We were unable to make Camp Bestival last summer due to Olympic tickets, then very joyfully received an invitation to the Carry On Crafting festival in the summer, held on Ardingly show ground! We had the most wonderful time sharing the woolly love, and making squares in drop in crafting sessions to go towards a Snug. It was lovely to see so many of you there, and thank you again to our wonderful helpers, Ali, Os, Our Peg, Hilary and Paula! It was great fun, both on the spreading the word and fund-raising front. Thank you for sending all the craft items for sale and pompoms for our display garland! We are already booked in for next summer. It is a fantastic crafting event, if anyone is interested – 12th and 13th July 2025 at The South of England Showground If you do go, please come and see us! We are applying to Camp Bestival so watch this space on that one!
Our Square Squad is now SIX years old! We couldn’t manage without them, it’s Facebook group made up of fabulous Woolly Hug folk (all welcome to join) who are able to make squares for specific Little Hugs or family blankets. It enables us to reach more people and families with personalised Hugs and kinship blankets. They are astonishing, and rally every single time there is a call. Thank you so much everyone. It’s been a hugely busy year in there, super successful. Awesome work everyone. Do check it out and join us, link is here….
All hail the incredible Woolly Avengers AKA the Construction Crew! What an astonishing bunch of folk. At times our requests (Cwtches, Candy’s, Kinship, Snugs, Refugee blankets, Chernobs) are relentless and often with short notice. For this and several other projects, we could not function without you. The sheer joyful enthusiasm our calls for help is met with makes us so thankful. What wonders you are. And the SPEED OF RESPONSE! Thank you! If you think this sounds like something you’d like to try, come and find us, all welcome.
The Woolly Pack. One of the absolute highlights again this year has been our social Facebook page, born from lockdown adversity, we wanted to have a safe, happy, supportive and chatty space. We couldn’t be happier with how it has worked. It’s a fabulous place to be, all we hoped for and more! Thank you so much to our wonderful admins, Agatha, Ali, Lisa, Steph, Jo, Jen, Alexsis without whom it wouldn’t be. It’s called the Woolly Pack, do request to join, and do answer the questions. Can’t wait to see you in there. This is the profile pic!
So back full circle to where we started this Review, with our Chernobyl project 2024. With your unfaltering love and support we made an epic 250 blankets to go to children.We were so blessed to receive a return invite to go with the CCLL and meet the children and hand out these blankets ourselves. This as we write was less than 3 weeks ago.
These children already have very little, still with the threats from the legacy of Chernobyl, made worse by the Russian invasion of the area, with war looming all around and the impact that has on every part of daily life. Historically of course we used to make these blankets to give to children visiting the UK with the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline for a respite break. These children need support even more now. So in December, children were driven out of Ukraine from their home town of Korosten, near Chernobyl and Kyiv to Lublin, just in Poland, and others came who are refugees in Lublin with their mothers. The time was full of food, games, activities, outings, fun and laughter. Children being children. And it was wonderful to see. These kids are now back in Ukraine with the uncertainty, dangers and chaos, or continuing in uncertain, unsettled life as a refugee with loved ones fighting in Ukraine, with all the fears and anxiety. But they’re all taking love and woolly warmth from us. It doesn’t fix anything but it’s a tangible sign of love and care. So many hugs! The Refugee mums can’t thank us all enough, thank us for remembering them, for ‘seeing them’ – so many tears. We yearn for a brighter future for them all.
It was great fun to spread the woolly love this year and get the children engaged in pompom making! They loved it, got really stuck in, it was absolutely fantastic! We gave each child a kit with two pompom makers and yarn, then any yarn that was still around has gone back with the teachers. We are talking A LOT! Was all part of our woolly plan. Getting resources is so tough. They are so chuffed and we’ve seen photos of the children back in Ukraine happily getting creative with yarn. What’s not to love?!
Blanket giving was such a wonderful thing. Honestly your love shone from the blankets. Do visit the Christmas in Poland 2024 Blog on here for all the photos, This project will run again in 2025, with a shorter turnaround, check the home page for dates. We need to crack on!
Pompom making back at school in Ukraine. Spreading the woolly love! Thank you folks – this down to your kindness and generosity! Amazing.
And a huge thank you for all those torches and power banks. Think that night we requested those really shows the generosity and empathy of the Woolly Hugs crew. Astonishing reponse. This less than a third here, we just didn’t want to unpack all the boxes ready to go to Ukraine with the kids.
And we really do. Wish we could do more.
It was incredibly tough seeing them go back into Ukraine, and a real relief to know they had arrived home safely. They will be in our thoughts, we hope 2025 brings them a much brighter future, one with hope, safety and stability.
Feel like there is so much more to say! Imagine how many stitches there were for Woolly Hugs in 2024, how many post office queues! We treasure every single one. The good that comes from it is astonishing. As has been said many times, it is more than just a blanket.
We truly salute all the Woolly Hugs crew, proud to be in amongst the most awesome bunch of folk.
We all do what we can do, we all fit in this in around families, busy lives, work commitments, a hundred and one other things, which truly makes it all so amazing. No one can do this alone.
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things…
If you are reading this thinking you’d like to jump in, PLEASE make 2025 the year you do, we’d love to have you with us, message us if you you’d like a chat about how. Our aim is always to be inclusive, no one should be excluded because they can’t afford to join in and we welcome all levels of ability, from someone keen to begin to learn to someone with a lot of experience.
2025 is already looking busy, lots of posts about how you can help coming on here and across social media very soon. We hope you are rested and ready!
The most enormous love from us both. The Gs x
