Category: Past Projects

  • 2023. It’s a WRAP! Our Review of a Woolly Whirlwind!

    2023. It’s a WRAP! Our Review of a Woolly Whirlwind!

    Appropriately on one of the Chernobyl blankets, photo taken in Lublin.

    We trust everyone is enjoying the rest from the woolly whirlwind that was 2023! We feel we are still processing the Poland trip with the Ukrainian children and families, we were still there (at time of writing) less than 2 weeks ago. However exhausting it was, we both feel inspired to do more, energised too, so glad we could be there. Feeling the message of HOPE is so central.  More of this project later…

    So as the old year draws to an end, we love to pause and to reflect upon the Woolly year just gone. We are filled with awe at the response and enthusiasm to all our projects, yet again folk never fail to amaze, the Woolly Hug crew are full of spirit, 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. Ever. What a woolly journey we are all on together!

    It was BEYOND WONDERFUL to meet so many of you at our 2023 Hugathons. 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. We work towards creating squares for a given project, it was Chernobs at our most recent meet up. Hugathons are always vibrant and joyful. (With somewhat bonkers games of Bingo) If you worry about not knowing anyone, just let us know in advance and we will link you up, you’ll be glad you came!

    We had the most fabulous journey around the UK in 2023! We started with our first Hugathon in January 2023 at Manchester, inc such a beautiful venue in the the stunning Victorian Grade 2 listed Stretford Public Hall, Manchester, (we are back there for our Christmas event 2024!)

    Then in March we were off to the glorious St Columba’s by the Castle Church Hall (with the BLUE DOOR!) which is in central Edinburgh, just off the Royal Mile, close to Edinburgh Castle. We absolutely love this place and are back there in September 24!

    Onto Central London next in September! Holding our Hugathon at the stunning Friends House, Euston Road. Friends House is a Grade II listed building, completed in spring 1927, for which the architect, Hubert Lidbetter, won the RIBA bronze medal for “best building erected in London”. How lucky were we?! Except I had Covid and had to stay home <sob>  thank you to everyone for picking up the slack,  but I had at least visited the place so knew what it was like!

    Still not done, we were away to Portsmouth Harbour in October! Click on the link for the film clip… Thank you to Alexsis for letting us join with her Destash event!

    And finally to Oxford for our Christmas Hugathon in December. All absolutely enormous fun, and it won’t be long before we start our 2024 Hugathon travels with Brighton at the end of January! 2024 will see us run events in Brighton( SOLD OUT), York, Lulworth, Edinburgh and Manchester. Watch out on our social media for Hugathon promotions, or follow us on Eventbrite.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    2023 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. Isn’t that just amazing?

    We sent a RECORD BREAKING (get hold of Guinness someone!) number of beautifully knitted hat and scarf gift sets for Care Leavers. These are part of the Christmas Dinners’ project started by the inspirational poet Lemn Sissay. There are now 34 of these dinners held right across the country, the aim is to create a positive memory, and bring happiness and Christmas joy to this group of 18-25 year olds who can be terribly isolated and lonely, especially around Christmas time.  The entire collection below and a close up. Very much a gift set. Absolutely fabulous and this will run again in 2024. All info is here…. Thank you! 

    Our Little Hug project continues apace. We send to Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, which was our very first destination. This is a 256-bed hospital specialising in paediatric healthcare for children and young people up to the age of 16. When we first started of course it was Yorkhill. Our other destination is to Ward 2 at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. We do send on request to individuals too. It is a very special thing to be ale to do for the whole family. Knit, crochet, fabric – all equally welcomed here.

        

    Just a sample, there have been hundreds and all glorious!

    We are delighted to have sent big collections of teen sized Little Hugs to the teen ICUs at Great Ormond Street and to the teen and young person cancer ward and children’s cancer wards at the Royal Marsden this year, most recently to the Marsden just before Christmas. Thank you to lovely Lucy Jarvis for delivering again in person. We know how much effort goes into these single bed sized blankets and so are truly grateful, thank you – these are loved so much by the recipients and their families. Thank you. This project will continue in 2024, all crafting info is here….

    This beautiful bronze sculpture of two children is just outside the entry to the teen cancer unit.

    Our Christmas Cwtch project is a festive edition of the Little Hugs project and these go to the Great North Children’s Hospital. We make them as cheery and Christmassy as possible, to help children and families in hospital and away from home have a bit of colour and joy. It is ongoing in 2024, all crafting info here, thank you! 

    Hi, i just wanted to say a massive thank you as my son Milo received one of your amazing blankets whilst critical in hospital over christmas… it made it feel like even though we couldnt be home as a family to celebrate xmas, we were able to wrap him up in christmas thank you to all involved xx

    “Little Iris wanted to say thank you for the gorgeous blanket she was given on the children’s ward where we spent a good chunk of her first five weeks of life and also the special Christmas one she received as a gift on her first ever Christmas. They definitely brightened our time there and we still use our rainbow blanket every day. Thank you to the lovely talented people who made them! Xx”

    And who can forget the Christmas Cwtch Flying Tortie production this year?!

    Our Candy’s Hug project, now into its eighth 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 onNo photo description available.

    Thinking too of all the families in Glasgow 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 Snug collection 2023.

     

    This has been the fifth 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 Looked after children in the South coast area. Here we are dropping off in Waterlooville. It is almost exactly a replica of a photo taken five years ago, except it was sunny this year. AND FREEEEEEZING!

    New to us this year was our project with the Transplant Team. We were delighted to be approached by the Lead Governor for the Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke who were desperately trying to find blankets (woolly and fabric) and 3D hanging hearts for their organ donation team to use with organ recipients their families and the families of those who are bravely donating loved ones organs. We jumped into action and have sent three deliveries so far, blankets and hearts. Just fabulous to be able to help. It is a lovely project and it will continue into 2024. All crafting info is here….

    One of our first blankets for the Transplant team.

    Our peony project has had a very successful first year, we are now sending both blankets and twiddlemuff/sensory toys etc. This project continues into next year, all info for both parts can be found here…

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Peonies on the way to the lovelies on elderly care at the RVI back in April.

     

    And if this wasn’t enough folk together we very recently sent £500 to the Multiple Sclerosis society through our Christmas Craft Sale, with over £4300 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. We are eternally grateful to all who wave pompoms, craft, donate and buy THANK YOU!!!!!

    Just the smallest sample!

    A tiny sample from our Spring Sale 2023.
    A tiny sample from our Christmas Sale 2023.

    We were absolutely delighted to be back at Camp Bestival last summer. In our hearts we were headlining… We had the most wonderful and EXHAUSTING time sharing the woolly love, running pompom making workshops with hundreds of children and their families and selling the adorable Besties you had all made! It was epic, both on the spreading the word and fund-raising front. Thank you for sending all the kits and Besties!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Sadly we aren’t able to make Camp Bestival in 2024, but have been invited to take part in the Carry on Crafting Festival at Ardingly Showground. All info is here... It is new to us, but has good reviews. Held between 20th and 21st July 2024 at the South of England Showground.We plan to run a sort of Hugathon with square making for a Snug, also pom moms too. Still planning. Please do join us, and obviously explore the whole experience too. We’d love to see some familiar faces!

    Our Square Squad is now five 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. Below are just a few examples, but do check it out and join us, link is here….

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    All hail the incredible Construction Crew AGAIN! What an astonishing bunch of folk. Truly extraordinary.  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 teary and thankful. What wonders you are. And the SPEED OF RESPONSE! Its like having our own team of Woolly Avengers. Thank you! If you think this sounds like something you’d like to try, come and find us, all welcome.

      Our very special blankets for bereaved families have continued this year, each family’s loss is beyond measure, we hope our Woolly Hugs can give a little comfort, they are full of personalisations, memories, a true tribute to a life lived with love. They mean so much to the recipient families, thank you so much for all your help.

    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, Jenny 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!

    OOOOOOOOOOOooooooo! And we’ve hit over 10,000 followers on our main Facebook page, are you one of them?!  Come and join us if not over there already. 

    So back full circle to where we started this Review, with our Chernobyl project 2023. With your unfaltering love and support we made an epic 150 blankets to go to children. Then in the Autumn we received the most amazing invite to go with the CCLL and meet the children and hand out these blankets ourselves. We blogged throughout our time, the link is here, you’ll need to scroll back to reach day one. 

    These children already have very little, still with the threats from the legacy of Chernobyl, made worse by the invasion of the area,  now 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 on 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.

    Blanket giving was such a wonderful thing. Honestly your love shone from the blankets. Do visit the Blog for all the photos, This project will run again in 2024, we need all hands on deck for this, do check out the timings and crafting info, the link is here….

    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.

                                         

     

    The whole collection is here

    And do watch this…..

    Just reading this is exhausting, can you imagine how many stitches for Woolly Hugs there have been in 2023? We are absolutely thankful and grateful for every single one.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. We just do our best, tis all we have. And if you are reading this thinking you’d like to jump in, PLEASE make 2024 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.

    2024 already looks exciting, we’d best be ready!

    The most enormous love and thanks from us both xxxx

    Thank you!

     

  • Our Review of 2022 – Wonderful and Woolly!

    Our Review of 2022 – Wonderful and Woolly!

    Really this is our opportunity to say thank you, THANK YOU! Woolly Hugs can only function with the love and suppport of you wonderful people. We love this astonishing community. Truly extraordinary!

    Hopefully now we are moving away from the restrictions and lockdowns associated with COVID. We feel able to look forward and plan. Keep it all crossed folks!

    So as the old year draws to an end, we love to pause and to reflect upon the Woolly year just gone. We look back in awe and wonder at how amazing folk have been, full of spirit, compassion, generosity, enthusiasm, love and care, truly it feels boundless. Donors and crafters alike, what you do means so much and our coming together as Woolly Hugs is very special indeed. We never take any of this for granted. Ever.

    THANK YOU!

    The Woolly Hugs for Bee’s family, delivered earlier this year. Truly made with love for an extraordinary woman.
    Candy’s Hug squares on their way for construction!

    Our Candy’s Hug project

    On Christmas Eve our Candy’s Hug project turned six years old. In many ways it feels like 5 minutes since it began. We miss Candy (Zombie to many) and wish she knew how far her legacy has now reached. Our aim 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 is still such a busy project with almost 400 blankets delivered to wonderful women (and men and children too) undergoing treatment for cancer. Its a project of love and strength, of friendship,  of creativity, of coming together to show compassion, support and give and receive comfort.  How lucky we were to know Candy.

    This project carries on into 2023, already had a request which will go as soon as possible, Thank you lovely people!

    Our Chernobyl Project

    The invasion of Ukraine by Russia as we all know is incredibly devastating, some of our Chernob families have been able to leave, others have to stay, but the CCLL continue to be astonishing in their efforts to support families. Even those who managed to flee now have incredible stuggles as funding ceases and finding accommodation or meeting basic needs are a challenge.

    At the beginning of December, 100 Ukrainian children were driven to Lubin in Poland by our friends at the CCLL for a respite break with Christmas treats and Father Frost! We can only imagine how much this was needed. These children already have very little, still with the threats from the legacy of Chernobyl , now with war looming all around and the impact that has on every part of daily life. Each child was given one of our blankets.

    Here is a snapshot, if you follow the @Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline Charity on social media, you will see more photos of their event. This is overwhelming. What the CCLL have done here is extraordinary, so glad these children and families have a warm blanket full of love from us.

    This means the world. Thank you!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Our Chernob collection

    We have already launched our Chernobyl project for 2023, and are calling it Chernobyl 100 because with your love and support, we aim to send the same number of blankets again. Please can you help us?!
    Crafting info for the Early Birds. Chernobyl 100!

    We are also working on a plan to send some sensory lap-blankets for children and young people who would benefit from this type of blanket. We will be announcing soon and are excited to see what folk come up with, the more creative the better! The plan will be to send at the same time as the Chernobs. News soon!

    Hand Knits for Care Leavers

    Our Christmas Hand Knits for Care Leavers project has proved incredibly popular amongst our knitters, and it was EPIC to be able to send as many sets as we did. Some may be glad to hear there is a new scarf pattern has been introduced for 2023, the link is on the page, see here…..

    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. The hand knitted hats and scarves are included with the presents given to the care leavers.

    Our Christmas Cwtch Project

    Our Christmas Cwtch Project was hugely successful again in 2022, it is in its 4th year now, with both woolly and fabric Cwtches going to very sick children in hospital over Christmas at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. It must be incredibly tough for the children and their entire families and we hope our festive blankets and quilts add some colour and let them know folk are thinking of them. As with every blanket we send they truly are made and sent with love. Thank you too to lovely Marie Samuels on Ward 2 for all her efforts! All hail the NHS!

    This runs again in 2023 with an earlier last posting date, which we hope will ease things this end. Check it out, it really is a lovely project to get incloved in!

    Our Little Hug project

    Our Little Hug project (click here for full info) is as strong as ever, thanks to such amazing support from our crafters. These blankets are for very sick children at The Royal Hospital for Children,  Glasgow, the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle, John Radcliffe NICU in Oxford, teens at the Great Ormond Street and for teens at the Teen cancer Ward at the Royal Marsden. We were able too, to take a collection for the very sickest teens who are transferred from the Marsden Teen cancer unit to St George’s at Tooting if they need intensive care. These blankets go regularly throughout the year and we are very grateful to staff in the hospitals who get them to families. It’s an extra job and we really appreciate it. Thank you too to Lucy Jarvis for continuing to support here by acting as our link and deliverting them for us. Means the world.

    From a Royal Marsden mum. Picture shows the actual blanket. But the most enormous thanks to everyone who crafts or donates to make this happen.

     

    “My teenage daughter M has cancer. She has been in hospital recently and was not happy about being there. She has Autism and finds the entire hospital process very stressful. The nurse explained the blanket was hers to keep. M has slept with it ever since. I want you to know this kind generous gesture has meant so much, to see it calm her down has eased my aching heart beyond measure. Thank you.” More than just a blanket.

    Just the tiniest sample of the hundreds of Little Hugs which have gone this year.

    September 2022. Washing and drying a collection for the NICU at John Radcliffe in Oxford!

     

    Our Angel Hug project

    Our Angel Hug project continues too, helping support bereaved families in Glasgow maternity wards, and are able to support SANDS if needed. Our blankets are always handmade with love and compassion and so are perfect. We can help care for the whole family at this time by making the baby comfortable and snuggled up whilst sending love and a hug to the parents and wider family.Loved and looked after. Precious blankets to care for families going through devastating bereavement. Photo below shows the delivery which went in December. Read more about this project here.

    Billie’s Blankets for World Child Cancer in Malawi, November 2022

    In August we had a request from World Child Cancer and are delighted that post COVID they are able to get back to their hospitals and help children and their families. The delivery was due to go to their project in Malawi in November. Sadly for everyone this has been postponed until next year. But our  eautiful collection is ready as soon as they are. So not cancelled, just postponed. Two beauties from our collection below..

    Our Refugee project

    Our Refugee project during the pandemic has been incredibly challenging as we have struggled to get items to folk in need. Currently it is still impossible for us to reach folk in Refugee camps as we historically have done, and we long for  the time when this is possible again. At present we are focussing on blankets and blanket squares and are reaching folk in this country. Read more about this here.

    We are supporting families being resettled from Afghanistan and Ukraine. Below are Tania and Maryna from Ukraine, currently living in the UK but busily raising funds for a field hospital and night vision goggles. Truly inspiring women.

    Snugs

    A Snug for Christmas 2022 was supporting Looked after children in Middlesbrough and Portsmouth. So many beautiful blankets, folk are truly astonishing.  Our aim is to give these children and young people something unique and permanent which they can take with them wherever they are. Each blanket was utterly fantastic. One recipient, a lad phoned support workers to say thank you for his blanket, and his sisters. They truly are so loved. A Snug for Christmas 2023 will go ahead, region to be confirmed, thank you so much. All info here…

    Just a few of the wonderful Snugs from this years project .

    The Snug collection going to Portsmouth.

    Mumsnet Woolly Hug blankets

    We’ve worked hard all year supporting bereaved Mumsnet families, it is an honour to do so, and we hope that through our love they will feel some comfort. Thank you so much to all crafters and donors alike, what you do is amazing.We say our Woolly Hugs are a tribute and a tangible sign of a life filled with love. We know the recipient families love them. All these beautiful Mumsnet Woolly Hug blankets have been made/delivered to families this year. All utterly stunning and so personal. We are so glad we can do this but how we wish there was ever any need. Thank you so much to the crew who work tirelessly and never seem to get fazed by requests.

    For JungleZgok
    For Bee (BOF to many)
    The Blanket for vickibee
    A Blanket for Notapizzaeater

    Kinship Hugs too, have been a wonderful blessing. They are an extension of, and in addition to, our existing Little Hug project. We make bigger blankets for folk in need of comfort. So many have gone this year, truly always made and sent with so much love. Sometimes we head into our amazing group known as the Square Squad to make personalised Kinship Blankets, with specific requests for personalised squares. No request ever seems to faze folk!

    For Ava

    Dear all, we can’t thank you enough for the most incredible gift we have received. Ava is going through a really tricky time in her life and for her to have received something so so stunning and warm and practical that she can treasure forever was beautiful and brought tears to our eyes. She sleeps with it every night and she is obsessed with all the detail and we keep finding new things. But most of all we are touched by the time and the love you have shown to Ava by the efforts you have made and that alone can help little Ava fight this journey. Quoting Ava : “ I can’t believe people who don’t know me made this special thing for me and they think I’m brave, it’s so cosy and I feel so lucky”

    Our Sunflower blanket for a wonderful teen who lost her mum in traumatic circumstances. Truly sent with love.“
    For the family of beautiful Baby J who was devastatingly stillborn
    In memory of wonderful Leo.
    Our Rose Garden blanket in memory of Beryl

    Our new Peony Project.

    Absolutely brand new, so no wool to show just yet. We are delighted to be launching The Peony project, which aims to support wonderful older folk on the Elderly Care ward at the RVI in Newcastle. We were so pleased to receive a request arrived from them, have included part of the email…

    We receive your lovely blankets for children and babies on our ward which are very much appreciated.  (These are our Little Hugs/Chrsitmas Cwtches for Newcastle)

    I just wanted to let you know that we had a call a while ago about a dementia patient in Adult PICU. He needed to be distracted and loved woollen things to keep him calm.  We did take one of your larger blankets up to help and it was very much appreciated. It felt to me that the blankets were being made for the beginning of someones life as a baby and at the end for someone with this terrible desease…

    It was just a thought, we do have a specific Elderly Care ward here which is ward 31 if you would be interested in helping them in any way.

    Thank you again for all you do, they are so beautiful and I know how much work must go into each and every one of them, so thank you again.

    Hugathons!

    It has been a real joy for us that we were able to restart holding our Hugathon events post Covid. It came almost to the wire with our first to Edinburgh in March, but regulations shifted just in time! PHEW! We love these events, meeting our woolly army of fabulous cheery enthusiastic folk who come and make the day very special indeed! These events are always such a whirl and are always so utterly fabulous!

    Maybe try to come to one if we come your way?! Hugathons are a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow Woolly Huggers who share a love of crafting.They are very friendly and inclusive. It is a great time for chatting with your fellow Woolly crew and sharing ideas. We are slowly moving around the country, but obviously holding these events have a huge impact on our families, so we really can hold only  3 or 4 a year. But in 2022, we were absolutely delighted to visit Edinburgh, Portsmouth and Gloucester! We hope all attendees enjoyed them as much as we did! Thank you for coming! We already have Manchester (SOLD OUT), Edinburgh and Central London in the diary for 2023, and the Christmas event is in the planning stage!

    The Edinburgh Hugathon, March 2022
    The Portsmouth Hugathon, October 2022
    The Gloucester Christmas Hugathon, December 2022

     

     

     

     

     

    We headlined at Camp Bestival!

     

    In our hearts, but we went as Woolly Hugs and had the most wonderful, exhausting time running workshops, huge thanks to all the lovelies who cut our circles and helped us prep. For us it was a great opportunity to meet new crafters, to engage with a wider audience abour Woolly Hugs, to network with outher charities nd agencies and spread the woolly love! Also SO MANY POMPOMS!

    Craft Sales

    Two more wonderful craft sales have been held this year, we are so grateful to all crafters and buyers alike. We are always stunned by the talent in our ranks, we know the woolly side but these sales get us to see another side! Amazing. Thank you to lovely Caroline B for gamely taking on the ENORMOUS task of packing and posting. Honestly we know how massive this is and are truly indebted to her!

    This year it was wonderful to be able to send £1670 to the amazing charity CALM! from us all. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

    CALM provide amazing support for those worried about someone, with loads of info, ideas, suggestions, plus helplines, web chats for supporters and those struggling. They also have support and information for those who have lost someone to suicide. Reading their website, we are so impressed with the quality, breadth of info and ease of access. Please do find them and remember them.

    Here are just a few of the wonderful and varied crafts. Folk are astonishingly talented and so generous. THANK YOU!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    All hail the incredible Construction Crew AGAIN! What an extraordinary 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 teary and thankful. What wonders you are. And the SPEED OF RESPONSE! We send you random squares, you work wonderful magic and send back astonishing blankets. Thank you!

    If anyone would like more info about either the Construction Crew, or Square Squad, just shout, we have separate Facebook groups for these two which are open to all, but having them separate hopefully stops requests getting lost on our main page.

     

    And if you are wondering…. Our Spring Craft Sale will take place between March 13th – 18th, with a last posting of March 1st! THANK YOU!!!!

    All info here……

    And to end the year we were Stylecraft’s Charity Champions! How lovely was this?! Thank you for all nominations and votes, we were absolutely chuffed!

    Thank you too to all on our wonderful Woolly Pack Facebook page for being marvellous. Come and find us if you’re not already there, it is our friendly and welcoming virtual pub! An extension to our regular Woolly Hugs page. All welcome to join, it’s a Facebook group with  a positive chatty environment, sometimes wool chat, often not, offering support whilst avoiding doom & gloom. Contribute as much as you like. No selling, no spam, no abuse, only support and kindness permitted. Cheers!  The link is here hopefully…

    The most enormous thanks to our wonderful social media admin team. They are such a source of strength and wisdom, never get fazed, always jump to help us. They give above and beyond.We honestly could not manage without them, thank you Steph, Caroline, Alexsis, Jo, Jen, Ali and Lisa!

    A special HUGE thank you to Alexsis for coming to our rescue and organising with her landlord a storage location attached to her wonderful Seeded shop in Southsea. With funds we had saved we bought a BIG SHED! It was built for us last January.We don’t have to pay rent which is extraordinary and this truly has saved us! THANK YOU!

    And we must thank Tortie, always there, getting into trouble, but we adore him, more than a mascot! If we didn’t say this he would be a NIGHTMARE!

    Just reading this is exhausting, can you imagine how many stitches for Woolly Hugs there have been in 2022? We are absolutely thankful and grateful for every single one.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. We just do our best, tis all we have.

    If you are reading this thinking you’d like to jump in, PLEASE make 2023 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.

     


    2023 already looks exciting, we’d best be ready!

    The most enormous love and thanks from us both G&G xxxx

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • We had a Panda Picnic!

    We had a Panda Picnic!

    Bonding Squares for the tinies 2021

    Update! Delighted to be able to send this wonderful collection of Bonding Squares in July with our donation of £1150. These squares will help these tiniest babies and we are so grateful to have been able to help. Thank you so much everyone.  No more needed at the mo, but we will let you know if this changes!

     

     

     

     

    So this was what we did!

    Delighted to be announcing an exciting project to support some of the tiniest babies in the UK with the PaNDR team in the East of England region.


    From Wednesday 7th April 2021, a new service will be launched, taking over the existing provision.. It will be called PaNDR ( Paediatric and Neonatal Decision Support and Retrieval Service). This provides a 24 hour emergency transfer service for sick babies across the region. In addition to this the service also carries out elective transfers either to repatriate babies back to their local hospital once their level of care can be stepped down, or to transport babies to other hospitals for elective care such as surgery. The team operates from the Rosie at Cambridge University Hospital.

    Where do we come in?

    We have been asked for some help making bonding squares for these tinies. What are bonding squares? 

    Bonding Squares are knitted in matching pairs. One square is placed with a premature baby and another is worn against the mum’s skin, then the squares are swapped round every 12 hours or every time mum visits. They help with the bonding of a premature baby in an incubator and the baby’s mum. Also can help with breastfeeding in time.

    Part One – Crafting Info

    Please read carefully as only items meeting the criteria will go on to PaNDRs!

    • This is only a job for knitters, so hookers, now is the time to learn!
    • Squares to be 6 inches NO BIGGER please.
    • We are using Stylecraft Special DK only so we know it will be consistent in wash and use.
    • Going along with their requested panda theme we are using black and white only
    • No intarsia, embroidery, loops, flaps, or appliqués, any stitch must be dense – garter knit, moss stitch, seed stitch. Any questions please shout.
    • Squares must be able to lie flat independently
    • When finished or changing colour, ends mist be incredibly tightly tied off leaving a 6 inch tail, use a needle to sew this in please.
    • Pairs must match, when you send please tie in pairs with a bit of wool.
    • Thank you so much for helping!

    Posting will be Teddington. Deadline is April 30th for our first collection, after which we will reassess what is needed and the time frame!

    Part Two

    To go alongside the bonding squares, with your love and support, we’d like to hold a mini fundraiser in the summer, so plan to hold a Panda Picnic ( this is another name for a Craft Sale!) Whilst the PaNDRs are run by the NHS there are always extras needed, and the group are aiming to give each child a mascot panda to keep. Be great to help them wouldn’t it?!

     

    We are hoping to make and sell small/lightweight panda themed (only panda themed) 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. If you’d like to help, that would be great, but we do understand that folk  have already been amazing with the Christmas and Spring sales and this may be a step too far. Please don’t worry if it is for you!

    If you’d like to and are able to here are some ideas, we are sticking 100% with the panda theme.

    Possible panda craft ideas

    • Cuddly pandas
    • Panda keyrings
    • Panda prints
    • Panda bags
    • Panda cards
    • Panda pencil cases
    • Panda bag tags
    • All things panda!

    Posting will be Teddington. Last date for Panda crafts to be April 30th.  The Panda Picnic itself (Summer Sale) will be held online between June 10th -12th! Details very soon.

     

    Thank you so so much lovely people! xxxxx

     

  • The Great Spring/Easter Craft Sale and Auction 2021. Tuesday 9th March – Saturday 13th March.

    The Great Spring/Easter Craft Sale and Auction 2021. Tuesday 9th March – Saturday 13th March.

    Welcome to our Spring/Easter 2021 craft sale and Auction, 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…

    1. Spring and Easter decorations, bunting, garlands, Easter egg themes etc
    2. Anything sheep wise is always popular!
    3. Small gifts – Little bags, purses, brooches, hair accessories, key rings, gift bags, tags,
    4. Clothing – but lightweight please, we find heavier winter hats, scarves don’t sell well at this time. 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!
    5. Woolly, fabric, card, embroidered, beaded, all crafty crafts welcome!!
    6. Lovely lovely things!

    Absolute last posting for crafts to be Monday 1st please, earlier is better for us if at all possible.

    Please message for the posting information if you need, but it will be Teddington.

    The Event itself…

    Our Spring/Easter 2021 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 9th March – Saturday 13th March.  Finishing on the Saturday as Sunday is Mothers’ Day!

    Some items will be up for instant sale on our event wall during this time, others through auction on our Auction Site which will help folk not on Facebook, or those who prefer to take part in this way. Do message us if you have any questions. We are hoping it is not our third lockdown sale, and the times are a bit healthier.

     

    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.

    THANK YOU!!!!

     

  • Refugee Project with Choose Love

    CLOSED NOW

    URGENT HELP REQUIRED.
    We are sure you have probably heard about the fire that has been raging in the Moria refugee camp in Greece. Absolutely devastating. The refugees there now have nothing and there are so many children. Winter will soon be upon them and they are terribly vulnerable. COVID is beginning to make an impact too. It’s relentless. Almost 13,000 people have been displaced from the camp, and thousands are thought to have lost their shelters and all possessions.
    We have been asked via the group Portsmouth Cares to team up with Choose Love to help get resources over there. Every little bit will help these folk directly. Initially we were asked about sending blankets, but we’d like to see what we can do to help Phase one as well.
    This really is a tight turnaround and we are obviously opening this project for posting NOW rather than wait.

    Phase one
    They urgently need the following items
    Soap,
    Toothpaste,
    Shampoo
    Shower gel
    Deodorant
    Nappies (all Sizes)

    If you wanted to send items, possibly using Amazon etc might be a good way to make this easier. Totally up to you. One small thing will help one person. It really is a human to human connection and the sharing of basic needs.
    This will all be shipped out to Greece around the 5th October. If you’d like to help with any of these items, bless your heart. THANK YOU. Please get these to our Southsea address BY OCTOBER 1ST. No later please xxx

     

    Phase two
    We are collecting refugee project blankets. Any size but obvs the larger the better. Again to Southsea. We are collecting squares too but unlikely these can be made up before this first deadline. There will be others.
    They are also collecting tents and sleeping bags. If you have these, we’d love to take them too.
    The deadline for refugee project blankets (tents/sleeping bags) to go to Moria Refugee camp in Greece is BY NOVEMBER 1ST. No later please xxx

    Unless we hear otherwise, just the things as above.

    These colours please for blankets and squares. Any good quality acrylic DK is fine, thank you.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Truly everything will help. If you are thinking you’d like to send funds, please do directly to Choose Love
    https://donate.helprefugees.org/campaigns/moria-emergency/
    Honestly. The hugest thank you. We are so well placed here to help make a difference. These are just families like ours. The difference being luck at birth. Bless you for even reading this far
    G&G

    You will have read that we have been revisiting our Refugee project following increased challenges to get items to folk who need it most, and this was before Covid came on the scene. Heartbreaking as the need is very much still there.

     

    We have decided that the best thing for us to do is concentrate on blankets, so will be not be asking for clothing. Apologies as we know how keen folk are. If this is something you’d like to continue making, have a look at Knit for Peace as occasionally they collect such treasure.

     

    What we are collecting now

    6 or 12 inch squares ONLY in shades similar to the picture. Or whole blankets but only in these types of colours. If making the whole blanket the most useful for agencies are those single bed sized.

    You do not have to use Stylecraft Special DK, any good quality soft acrylic DK is perfect acceptable. but in shades similar to these. No lighter please.

    All ends must be sewn in securely, please do ensure that you make your square usable.

    Please note we cannot accept second hand or used blankets for this project.

     

    Where and when to post…

    We are still operating our Posting window for this. It has worked will for us. So the Refugee project window is open between November 1st and Easter, the address will be Southsea.

     

    Thank you so much for your continued support. Sad we could not continue as we were doing.

     

     

  • 2020. We did not see a Year like you coming. Our Woolly Review!

    2020. We did not see a Year like you coming. Our Woolly Review!

    There is no denying this year has been extreme, bleak and challenging for everyone and in truth there were times earlier on when we struggled to see Woolly Hugs past families, lockdowns, work, health worries. Everyone has so much on their plate, we worried too that Woolly Hugs as a community and charity would struggle to stay afloat.

    But out of this arise the Great Woolly crew, and we are BLOWN AWAY!! Your dedication and enthusiasm despite the pandemic is extraordinary,  unstoppable and a true force of good,  We’ve gained such strength and comfort from you all! We know many crafters have said that working on projects helped them enormously during lockdown and we are so glad of this. The response and enthusiasm to all our projects has been undimmed, the spirit, 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, especially in this dreadful year. Even Post Office trips in masks didn’t deter the Crew! Honestly we are blessed to know you all!

    Just incredible. Saying thank you just doesn’t seem enough, but the most enormous thanks to everyone. There have been an enormous number of positives this year.

     

    2020 saw the continuation of our Ongoing projects with new ones added in. From here in the UK to as far away as Syria and Greece children and families feeling love, warmth, support and comfort through our Refugee Project, Little Hugs, Kinship Hugs, Bees Blankets and Candy’s Hugs. Our Little Hug project (blankets for very sick children at The Royal Hospital for Children,  Glasgow, the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle, teens in GOSH and Royal Manchester Hospital for Children) enters its ninth year, still going as strong as ever, folk are amazingly generous, thank you.  Love to all the families and children who have received this year. Thinking too of all the families in Glasgow and the surrounds who have received our Angel Hugs and Teds incredibly bleak and devastating times.   Love in every stitch we say and it really is true. Loved and looked after is our aim.

    Our Candy’s Hugs is possibly our biggest and busiest Ongoing project, and however much we wish it were not so, we are glad to help. The aim of the project is to bring warmth and comfort to wonderful women undergoing treatment for cancer. Crafters either make whole blankets or squares, and the resulting blankets are a riot of colour and cheer. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this and love to all of our recipients.
    So many Kinship Hugs have gone over the past 12 months, always made and sent with love to families or individuals going through intensely sad or difficult times. These ones made in our Vintage palette this year. Beautiful inside and out. Thank you everyone xx


    A Snug for Christmas 2020
    was for Looked after children (in the foster care system) in the Yorkshire area So many beautiful blankets, we exceeded our target which was epic, thank you so so much. All going to wonderful looked after children – our aim is to give them something unique and permanent which they can take with them wherever they are. A Snug for Christmas 2021 will definitely go ahead, region to be confirmed, thank you so much.

     

     

    Our Christmas Snug collection 2020!

     

     

     

     

    Our Chernobyl Project 2020. It was no surprise but still devastating to learn that it would not be possible for the ‘Chernobyl’ children to visit the UK for respite holidays in 2020, that is all except for one group who visited Portsmouth and had planned all along to come in March. It was an absolute joy, even more so now looking back to meet them and give them their blankets. This photo now feels such a celebration, even more so!

    The Fabulous Four! Chernobyl visitors in Portsmouth 2020.

     

     

     

     

    Our target for 2020 had been 175 Chernob blankets, most of which are in secure storage waiting for it to be possible to get to the children. Sadly 2021 is up in the air at the moment, understandably, these children are already more vulnerable health wise. It just may not be possible to bring them over, or for Link organisers to even get over there. We have had to make the decision to put our Chernobyl 2021 project on ice. It is sad for sure but needs to be. We will use this year’s blankets first as soon as poss, and hopefully later in the year we will have a better idea. The project will be back, we are just not sure when. We had plans too to deliver Billie’s Blankets to the Children’s Cancer Hospital in Minsk this winter, but this too is on hold. It will happen.

     

    Hugathons 2020!! We managed one out of three planned Hugathons, losing Gloucester and Portsmouth to Covid but we DID get to Leeds and had a fabulous day, meeting many more crafters, lots of fun and laughter. Thank you to everyone who came. We look forward to safer times and many more Hugathons! There is one in Edinburgh booked in for early March, it is sadly extremely unlikely to take place though 🙁

     

    Tortie meets his fans at the Leeds Hugathon!

     

    Having made the decision that our Refugee Project would focus on blankets and blanket squares we were so pleased to be able to help with far more in the rallying call from Choose Love in September, prompted by the fire that had been raging in the Moria refugee camp in Greece. Phase one saw an urgent request for soap, toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, deodorant and nappies and the response we got from you was incredible. Such an outpouring of love, thank you! Phase two saw us collecting refugee project blankets and hats, again in such a short turn around the response was truly astonishing. Thank you!

    We were absolutely delighted when Choose Love contacted us to make some special blankets to be used in social media to promote their work and ultimately to be sold by auction to raise much needed funds.  The Square Squad came up trumps in RECORD BREAKING time and we can’t thank them enough. Blankets were made and delivered just before Christmas, and absolutely wonderful thing to be able to do.

     

     

     

     

    We were delighted to be approached by the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle to help with their 10th anniversary celebrations. Their logo is a gorgeous giraffe and they asked for as many cuddly giraffes as possible to give to the very ill young patients in their care. Due to Covid their physical party celebrations has sadly been cancelled, such a shame, but the giraffes were very much wanted! We loved doing this! Thank you so much to everyone!
    One very happy giraffe recipient! All love to her and her family xxx

    Again all hail the incredible Construction Crew, it hasn’t been such a busy year due to Covid, but we have still put calls out for help and folk literally fall over themselves, it is amazing! Thank you! Thanks too to the wonderful Square Squad who are utterly fabulous at quickly and beautifully making squares for special Little Hugs/Kinships etc. We put up our request and we are never surprised at the SPEED of the replies! Thank you everyone. If anyone would like more info about either group, just shout, we have separate Facebook groups so not to get lost on the main Page!

    And two wonderful craft sales! Both held during lockdowns, we didn’t anticipate that, but both hugely successful, we are so grateful to all crafters and buyers alike. We are always stunned by the talent in our ranks, we know the woolly side but these sales get us to see another side! Amazing

    This year, in our Christmas Sale, with your love and support  we were delighted to get behind the drug education charity the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, and sent a third of all profits to them, using two thirds to support our own projects and keep them running, ambitious and inclusive. The Christmas Sale was the biggest by a very long way raising over £6000! Thank you again everyone xxx

     

    Christmas Cwtches 2020. This fabulous photo ‘LOVE’ shows the wonderful collection of Christmas Cwtches sent recently to the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. All absolutely stunning, woolly and fabric, thank you so much everyone, we know these have been loved by families going through incredibly difficult times.. Must be even harder this year, an enormous thanks to all who contributed, our first one arrived in July! Awesome.

     

     

     

     

    We’ve worked hard all year supporting bereaved Mumsnet families, it is an honour to do so, and we hope that through our love they will feel some comfort. Thank you so much to all crafters and donors alike, what you do is amazing.We say our Woolly Hugs are a tribute and a tangible sign of a life filled with love. We know the recipient families love them. The photo albums are all to be found here on our website under Mumsnet Blankets. In 2020 we crafted and sent to..

    The Woolly Hug for Crazyladee
    The Woolly Hugs for TQ’s beautiful daughters
    The Woolly Hug for the family of the wonderful Whatwouldleslieknopedo (Chrissie)
    The Woolly Hug for for FiveGoMadInDorset and her family

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Woolly Hug for Willowkins
    The Woolly Hug for shefliesonherownwings
    The Woolly Hug for Twittlebee

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    One of the absolute highlights for this year has been the advent of our social Facebook page, born from adversity, we wanted to have a safe, happy, supportive and chatty space for our folk at the start of the first lockdown. 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 seven wonderful admins without whom it wouldn’t be!  It’s called the Woolly Pack, and if you’d like to join, please message us.

    So we look forward to 2021 with hope and reassurance that the Woolly Hugs community are by our side.

    Please keep safe and well in these difficult times.

    Sending the most enormous love from us both, G&G xxx

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Make a Hat for Choose Love. CLOSED.

    Make a Hat for Choose Love. CLOSED.

    We urgently need warm cosy hats to go with our blankets to Choose Love in LARGER ADULT SIZES ONLY, and please in dark muted colours similar to those shown below. It is so important that hats are deep enough to cover ears easily and most of the forehead, as modelled by Flo!

    There is a very tight turnaround, and although we had stopped making hats for our Refugee project, we are keen to support this if possible. The deadline is to HAVE ARRIVED BY NOV 1ST. No later please as you will literally miss the boat. Please message for an address, it is somewhere new to us this time.

    Thank you so so much xxxx