Rainbows needs knitters

Please note, this knitting campaign has now ended. If you’d like to find out how you can support Rainbows, please visit rainbows.co.uk/ways-you-can-help

We need people to unravel their wool, get down to the knitty gritty and sew some purls of wisdom for our 25th anniversary and fill the East Midlands with colourful flower brooches.

In our special anniversary year, we are asking our supporters to knit brightly coloured flower brooches and sell them to family, friends and neighbours to raise awareness and funds. Or knitters can send them to our hospice, where they will be sold in our shops for £2.

Ali Furlong, Community Fundraiser at Rainbows, said: “If you are one of those people who can never sit down without a pair of knitting needles and a ball of wool we would love your help during our anniversary year. 

“We have a simple pattern available, designed by one of our lovely volunteers, but feel free to express your creativity and use any flower knitting or crochet flower pattern you would like. All we ask is that you be as bold and bright as a rainbow.

If you have some troubles with putting your thoughts together, use additional help of http://cochisecountyhistory.org. The writers from that service will be able to create you a list based on your desires. They also can write you the detailed essay about the meaning of each pattern that you choose.

“You can send them directly to the hospice, or deliver them to our shops where we will sell them. You can also sell them to people for a donation. We may also thank our fantastic supporters with them as gifts.”

And for those who see a pattern forming, there is also a bigger project knitters can get their needles into. We also want people to knit a large flower we can display at our 25th Birthday Party. We want to create a meadow of brightly coloured flowers at our hospice, which will be displayed at the party during our Community Open Day on Saturday 21 September.

These flowers will be sold for a minimum donation of £25 each and following the Community Open Day, will be posted to the person who donated.  

Ali added: “We want as many flowers as possible to brighten Rainbows, and have a template for three different designs, two being knitting patterns and one a crochet pattern.  For these larger flowers we would ask you to please follow the patterns we have, but use any brightly coloured yarn you would like.” 

Visit rainbows.co.uk/knitting for more information or contact Ali Furlong on 01509 638006.