WE NEED YOUR HELP TO RAISE MONEY FOR LOCAL OLDER PEOPLE

 

Age Concern Leicester Shire & Rutland, innocent, Boots and Sainsbury?s are calling for all knitters to join in The Big Knit this year to raise much-needed funds to help keep older people warm and healthy this coming winter.

 

People across the UK will be supporting the 2010 Big Knit campaign by knitting a target of 640,000 little woollen hats to sit on innocent smoothie bottles in November in Boots and Sainsbury stores nationwide.

 

Age Concern Leicester Shire & Rutland has pledged to make 12,000 little hats and needs your help to achieve this challenging total which will assist its winter warmth campaign.

 

Knitters can get a simple knitting pattern from Clarence House in Humberstone Gate and Lansdowne House, 113 Princess Road East, by post or online at www.ageconcernleics.com.

 

If you don?t fancy knitting yourself, wool and needles can be donated to Age Concern centres. For more information on the Big Knit contact Age Concern Leicester Shire & Rutland on 0116 2237344.

 

Peter Ralphs, Business Development Manager at Age Concern Leicester Shire & Rutland, said: ?The more little hats we make for the smoothie bottles, the more money we can raise.

 

It really is fun and relatively quick to do as the hats are so little, while the more advanced knitters can try varying the theme! Anyone can knit for us, and good knitters could use this opportunity to share their talents by teaching someone else how to make one, while supporting a great cause.

 

Nearly 90 per cent of all excess winter deaths are of people over the age of 65. Older people can be less resilient to cold-related illnesses especially if they have existing health problems. Older people are also the most likely to be affected by fuel poverty, so often cannot afford to heat their homes properly. ?

 

Please send your knitted hats in to Age Concern Leicester Shire & Rutland (Ref: BDM), Lansdowne House, 113 Princess Road East, Leicester, LE1 7LA by the end of September.