Please do not post until we are back after our Summer break. Last posting please November 22nd 2025!
This is a wonderful project we have worked on for the last couple of years.
Care Leavers Christmas Dinners were originally set up by the poet Lemn Sissay to help communities provide a Christmas Day for young care leavers (of foster and care homes) aged 18-25, who often spend the day alone. It aims to be a magical day to be cherished and remembered by those who attend, with care leavers being able to gather together for food, pressies, company and fun on the 25th.. Please see the link which gives more detail regarding The Dinner: http://thechristmasdinners.org.uk/
One of their organisers, Katie coordinates knitters to gift hand knitted hats and scarves to include with the presents given to the care leavers. The Care Leavers project collected around 200 hand knitted and donated hat and scarf sets last year to gift to care leavers in Leeds and Bradford and two Christmas Dinner groups in London.
The aim this year is to gift hat and scarf sets to as many Christmas Dinner groups across the UK as possible.
Here is where we come in….
If you would like to be involved with the project and knit a hat and scarf gift set for the care leavers attending the 2025 Christmas Dinners in the UK, READ ON YOU LOVELY PERSON!
The crafting info is specific and precise, so if you are keen, make sure you are meeting their criteria! This is not our own project so we have to fit in!
We will need folk to commit to a hand AND scarf set
Crafting Info
The chosen patterns (Wheat Scarf and Barley Hat) can be downloaded for free from the Tin Can Knits website (see link below). If any knitters prefer to knit flat rather than in the round the alternative hat pattern we ask them to use is the Basic Family Knit Hat pattern which can be downloaded for free from the Yarnspirations website (see link below).
We ask that the hat is made WITHOUT the pompom.
We ask that the yarn used is machine washable, aran weight in solid, gender and cheery neutral colours. Thinking about this we’d suggest reds, oranges, blues, greens, plums, purples, greys, black?
Adult size please.
Add a Christmas label sending Christmas wishes and letting the recipient know how best to care for their gift.
Unfortunately hookers will have to sit this one out as there is no given crochet alternative. Or maybe this is the time to learn to knit??
These patterns all use aran/worsted weight yarn and are free:
– The Barley hat and Wheat scarf, which can be found within the Simple Collection
– Boyfriend Cashmere Scarf, which can be downloaded from the following website: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/boyfriend-scarf-8. If you’re unable to use Ravelry, please let me know and I can email you the pdf of the pattern.
They would also greatly accept any woolly garments for children and babies, as young care leavers attending the dinner sometimes have children of their own. Some hat patterns include sizes for babies and children, but any pattern can be used be it hats, garments, booties, etc. Any colour of yarn can be used for children and babies knits.
Please remember you are making a wonderfful Christmas gift so do take time to write a gift tag, wish them a Merry Christmas, and tie up the set together. No need to wrap, the young people get to choose a colour they would like.
Welcome to our Spring 2025 fundraising craft sale and Auction crafting phase!
Thank you so much for joining us. All funds raised will go directly into our own Woolly Hug projects. Every penny raised will go to help others, we hope you will support us, either by crafting, buying or even maybe both! Thank you so so much. x
Crafting info…
We would love our crafters to make Spring/Easter craft items, and to keep postage costs to a minimum we ask that ideally anything made can be sent on to a buyer in a large envelope. We are open to larger items too obviously, that is just a guide. We will then sell these beauties through the sale.
Some suggestions for you, but we are very open to others too…
Spring and Easter decorations, bunting, garlands, Easter egg themes etc
Anything sheep wise is always SUPER popular!
Small gifts – Little bags, purses, brooches, hair accessories, key rings, gift bags, tags,
Clothing – but lightweight please, we find heavier winter hats, scarves don’t sell well at this time. Any that arrive we will keep for the Christmas sale later this year. PLEASE include the yarn type or ball band so we can let folk know how to wash their new treasure. Socks are always very popular!
Woolly, fabric, card, embroidered, beaded, all crafty crafts welcome!!
Lovely lovely things!
NB – PLEASE INCLUDE NAMES OF PATTERN DESIGNERS WHERE APPROPRIATESO WE CAN CREDIT THEM. THANK YOU!
Absolute last posting for crafts to be Saturday 1st March please, earlier is better for us if at all possible. Thank you!
Please message for the posting information if you need, but it will be Teddington.
The Event itself…
Our Spring/Easter 2025 Craft sale and Auction will take place ONLINE on a Facebook Event page and our own Auction site attached to this website as before, between Tuesday 18th March and Sunday 23rd March.
We are keeping it all crossed that this Sale will be a huge success, with your love and support we have every confidence, huge heartfelt thanks.
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 childrenproject, 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?!
We even yarn bombed their mini bus!
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!
No idea where the time has gone. Four intense days. Wonderful, emotional, inspirational, heart breaking, uplifting. The blankets are so much more than a blanket. A true gift of love. So many of the refugee mums were so touched that folk were thinking of them. It’s very easy for them to feel isolated. We are with them all in spirit. And now wool. The children were overwhelmed with happiness, wrapping themselves, feeling comfort and love. We can’t thank you enough.
We’ve also sent masses of yarn and all the rest of the pompom kits (in addition each child got a little gift set) with the teachers for them to start the craze in Ukraine! It’s great to think of all the children carrying on with their woolly adventure. Pompomtastic.
The concert last night was beautiful. A mix of song and dance, poetry and one lad did some amazing magic tricks. The girls and their teacher singing Hallelujah in Ukrainian was so poignant and beautiful. We uploaded the song to Facebook. It needs editing to make it small enough for here. Will do that as soon as home.
A lot of the children wore their traditional Ukrainian embroidered blouses. Absolutely stunning.
Goodbyes are never easy when you are sending beautiful children and their wonderful teachers back into a war zone. So many hugs, so many tears. Next year in Ukraine we said. Wouldn’t that be something.
Don’t get left behind Little Tortie!
The kids are on their way. Excluding border checks which can take any amount of time, the driving part takes about 6 hours. We won’t rest until we know they are home safely.
And we are at the airport. Home this afternoon. Bit of a rest, then we’ll be ready for Chernobyl 2025. We hope you will be too!
Another huge thank you. It means so much to the children and their families. As we always say, much more than a blanket. And a huge thank you to the CCLL. It’s a huge logistical challenge to get them there. We couldn’t do this without them. And for inviting us to tag into their Christmas trip. It means the world to us. THANK YOU!
One last thing..
We yarn bombed their mini bus. Sometimes these things need doing!
The Ukrainian children were taken into Lublin Old Town for a look at the sights plus a super exciting trip to McDonalds. While they were out, a very large number of children and families refugeed in Lublin came for a Christmas party!
Starting with a gingerbread decorating work shop, this was adorable. The children worked so hard and a lot of them were so tiny!
Adorable!
The lovely woman who ran the gingerbread workshop is a Ukrainian refugee herself, living with her four children, one of them with considerable additional needs in a one bedroom hostel type space. Her kindness and strength was astonishing. Such a lovely lovely person. But one who would really REALLY love to go home and back to normality. Life is so cruel isn’t it?
Many of the children visiting today had significant additional needs, making their time as refugees even more challenging. It was so wonderful to be able to give them a cosy Woolly Hug to wrap themselves in and get comfort from. These families have very very little.
The children loved all the blankets and fell on them with such joy and enthusiasm. The parents, almost all mums were so teary and grateful, full of emotion. They really felt your kindness and love. The blankets really are beyond their current functional experience.
We didn’t get photos of all the children. But where we could we did, do enjoy!
The lad on the left was so proud of his new blanket. This is his very proud face, his mum said.
The remaining blankets then.
* Two are going to the two girls who couldn’t come this time. They were on the waiting list.
*A collection of 60 are travelling into Ukraine on the children’s coach tomorrow and will be given out to children as soon as possible.
A collection of approximately 80 are staying in Poland and going to Ukrainian refugees, many of whom have significant additional needs.
Again we can’t thank you all enough. These mean so much to the recipients. So many grateful, thankful tears.
So here we were after months of work and squares and kits and photos. Here they were.
So today 45 children received their blankets. These are all children who’ve come from Korosten, Kiyv for this respite Christmas break, and are aged 10 to almost 17. We have pics of most of them with their blankets, some were a bit reluctant. Fair enough.
The children were doing various crafts (including our pompoms) and they were brought through in small groups with their teachers. We’d laid out around 50 so the children could choose their own blanket.
The choosing by the children is absolutely fascinating. Different colours/styles/textures speak to different children. And they KNOW which is theirs. Some children take a very long time to carefully study and feel the blankets. Others are super quick and know instantly. What is it within us that makes different things appeal? One thing you can guarantee is that within moments they are wrapping themselves up in their Woolly Hug!
They’ve put their blankets on their beds for later. Honestly what a privilege to do this from all of us. It means the world to them. Thank you so much again.
One of the older lads here. Sweet boyShe loves ducks! It was meant to be. Lad on the left chose instantly. It matched his outfit! The girl on the left says her blanket is the most beautiful of all. And her friend in the right said the same thing they are BOTH right!The little girl on the right took the longest to choose today. So if this is your blanket, she thinks it’s absolute perfection! And then they carried on with more craft. But this time with their blankets close by.
Thank you so much everyone. More to come tomorrow!
Taking a woolly activity for the children to do seemed the most obvious thing. It’s such a success at Camp Bestival for all ages so last night was our first pompom making workshop and it continued this morning.
Spreading the woolly love.
A massive success! The children, boys and girls, the whole age range adored this activity. Many MANY repeat makers, it was really engaging. It’s a fantastically mindful activity which for these kids is perfect. So now they all know how to do it, they can have a good experiment with size and colour. We’ve also brought boggly eyes and colourful pipe cleaners. What’s not to love?!
We’d already decided we’d send each child home with a crafting kit. So they get this starter pack and are going to choose a couple of balls of yarn to go with it. There are scissors too. We predict a craze! A huge thank you everyone who donates funds which makes this happen. These children really have very little at home. And they are thrilled to be able to carry on at home and teach their families.
