The return of this very popular project which is connected to our Chernobyl project. and we couldn’t be happier.  Please message us BEFORE STARTING so we can allocate you a child and their unique admin number. Even if you took part last year, please do read the instructions, they are absolutely vital to making this work. Last posting will be Monday 20th September which will be here before we know it. We need to get them to Elizabeth by early October.

We have fifty stockings to fulfil and are hoping that with your love and support we can get all 50 filled. Please message us and we will give you the information for your recipient. If we don’t have it yet, we will ask you to wait until we can get back to you. We hope this won’t be too long. We have already got half of them. Once all 50 recipients are allocated we will see if we can get any more and will take a waiting list. We will need to ask for a donation of £3 per stocking to help transport them over. In previous years they have been taken back when the children visited the UK and of course that isn’t happening this year.

The age range we have seen so far is 4 – 16 years, boys and girls and we’d like to allocate these

Elizabeth Parker (Mid Suffolk Chernobyl Children’s Life line link and Senior Trustee of the  Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline)  couriers the stockings over and then deliver in person around the time of Orthodox Christmas. These stockings go to very sick children in hospitals and also to the schools and homes of incredibly  disadvantaged children. Their aim is to give the children a real Christmas present and those they give to have most likely never received a Christmas present before.  It is very important to note this is absolutely not one of those shoe box appeals, so these stockings do not include functional toothpaste/brush type items, and there are no strings attached. It is just a wonderful thing to be able to do for some of the most disavanted and sick children.

Here’s how to help…

1. Whether it is home made or shop bought, stockings need to be as close to 18cm by 40cm (approx 7” x 16) which seems to be average standard size of shop bought ones.
2. The stockings can contain anything that would be considered a Christmas present but for this project, no utility items such as toothbrushes etc.
3. No liquids, toy guns, or other toy weapons. No sweets. They take sweets and give them out at the time.
4. VERY IMPORTANT – Completed stockings ( inc the stocking itself) MUST weigh no more than 650 grams please and need to be able to lie as flat as possible for travelling purposes.
5. Reiterating the 650g weight limit!
6. The gifts inside the stockings must not be wrapped in Christmas paper as this makes it easier if they are stopped at customs.
7. When you send please pop your filled stockings in a plastic carrier bag with a list of the contents jotted down on a bit of paper and the weight in grammes. Include your child’s allocated number, this is vital.
8. Please enclose your £3 transportation donation in your parcel, but not in the stocking!  Cash is fine, we can gather it up and pay it all in.
   Our Paypal address is admin@woollyhugs.com.(Please note we have TWO Ls in woolly – folk get caught every time!) or We are a Cooperative business account in the name of Woolly Hugs •Account number: 65579631 •Sort code: 089299

What to put in to a stocking…

These are only suggestions and the age range we are covering is huge, so relevant to your child please.

1. A small soft toy
2. Small ornaments (all children love dogs and cats)
3. A “Barbie” or Action Man type Doll
4. temporary tattoos
5. lip balm, flavoured chapsticks
6. Magic Gloves
7. Hair slides, bobble, elastics etc for girls, colourful, sparkly items are really liked.
8. Girls love all things pink and “blingy” !
9. Wrist bands for boys
10. Fridge Magnets are a big favourite
11. Small logic puzzles, i.e. the ones we use to get where you had to roll a few small balls around and get
    them in the right place.
12. Spinner toys
13. Bracelets and necklaces for girls
14. Small cars or other models
15. Small windup toys
16. Marbles – quite heavy but a few would be ok and the children really love them
17. Stickers – all the children seem to collect these
18. Yo yo
19. Harmonica
20. Funny socks and slipper socks are liked very much, particularly if they are “Character “ones.
21. Warm tights for girls – they like bright colours
22. Small notebook – pretty ones for girls
23. Pens, pencils – biros should be blue not black please
24. colouring pencils
25. Small coin purses
26. Pretty notebooks
27. Pencil case
28. Any toys with LED lights – particularly the stretchy/squishy ones
29. Folding shopping bags (older girls)
30. Keyrings
31. Slipper socks

For the older age groups

1. Socks, lacy trainer liners v popular
2. Hats
3. Gloves
4. Wristbands/ fashion straps (boys and girls)
5. Pens and Pencil Sets (adult type)
6. Pencil case – Rubber and metal pencil sharpner
7. Folding rulers (very useful and fits in the pencil case)
8. Highlighter pen
9. Coloured Pencils (but can be heavy)
10. Watch/low cost “Fit” watch
11. Slipper socks
12. Folding shopping bags 
13. Keyrings
14. Lip Balm
15. Small Eye Shadow Palettes
16. Small purse
17. Rubik Cube or Similar
18. Logic Puzzles
19. LED Clip on light
20. LED lightweight torch
21. Small kits such as science/solar/engineering
22. Water colour “hard” paints and brush

Welcome to our Christmas Craft Sale 2021 

We know it’s July! But we know crafting takes such a long time. We are delighted though to be launching our Christmas Craft Sale 2021, we hope you will join us. THANK YOU! This year, with your love and support  we are delighted to get behind the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group which is a leading children’s cancer charity and the UK and Ireland’s professional association for those involved in the treatment and care of children with cancer. We will be sending a third of all profits to them, using two thirds to support our own projects and keep them running, ambitious and inclusive. So every penny we can raise will go to help others, we hope you will support us, either by crafting, buying or even maybe both! Thank you so so much.

To find out more about what this wonderful charity do, have a look at their website here.

So let the Crafting Stage begin!

We are aiming to make and sell small/lightweight Christmas 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. Some suggestions for you, but we are very open to others too…

• Stocking fillers, although obviously Father Christmas is REAL, this is just to help.
• Christmas tree decorations, bunting, garlands, general decorations. Always very popular, as are totally bonkers quirky things, yes we are thinking gin wreaths, woolly slugs and sock pigs, who knew??!  😀
• Stockings
• Cute cuddly things
• Small gifts – Little bags, purses, brooches, hair accessories, key rings, gift bags, tags,
• Clothing items such as gloves, hats, scarves, – if making clothing PLEASE inc the ball band or let us know so we can pass this info on to those who buy. xxx
• Lovely lovely things!
• Woolly, fabric, embroidered, beaded, ALL crafty crafts welcome!!

Last posting for crafts to be Saturday 2nd October please.

Earlier is very very helpful. thank you. Anytime after September 13th!

Posting will be to Teddington, please message for the address is needed.

The Event itself…

Our Christmas Craft sale and Auction will take place ONLINE on a Facebook Event page as before, between Monday 15th – Sunday 21st November.  TBC

We will set up the event page after the Summer break. Some items will be up for instant sale on this 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.

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 so much EVERYONE!

Welcome to our Summer of Woolly Love 2021!

We go on our summer break from Sunday 25th July (posting to us stops for the summer on July 3rd) and we will be back on September 13th. It has been another challenging time and we can’t thank everyone enough for all your hard work, compassion and enthusiasm, we know now that the Woolly Hugs crew are made of stern stuff. This year so far has been utterly exhausting in many ways and we are so truly grateful to the Woolly Hugs crew for keeping the faith and the wool going!

We know that many of you love a summer break project, some of you certainly need to be kept out of mischief 🙂 and if you need yarn to take part, please do message us.

Little Hugs for teens in GOSH ICU

We would like to make as many squares as possible for blankets for our wonderful teens in ICU in Great Ormond Street. Having dropped off the most enormous collection recently, we need to have more for the Autumn! Six or twelve inch squares please, knit or crochet. Not too lacy, but otherwise style, single colour/mixed colour, complexity etc totally up to you. What we would ask is that you double knot to finish (or colour change) and use a needle to sew your ends in. We have had a recent spate of collapsing squares and these blankets will have a hard life in terms of frequent washing so must be STURDY. If looking to make a whole blanket, it needs to be minimum 48 inches by 60 inches, so single bed sized.

We plan to use our Vibrant Riot palette as it is so super cheery.

Last posting for our Summer of Woolly Love project is Saturday 25th September

If you are looking for even more things to do…

We ALWAYS need Candy’s Hugs

And before we know it, it will be time for our Christmas Craft Sale! This year we will be supporting the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group.

Our Snugs for Christmas are underway too!

As our our Christmas Cwtches!

So who is up for our summer crafting challenge?!

We are so truly grateful for absolutely everything you all do. Please do have a restful summer. Stay well, message if you need us, we will be around to help messages etc, but possibly not every day.  Huge love to you and yours

Ginny and Gertie xxxx