Woolly Hugs. Supporting the Chernobyl Children's Project. Can anyone help us?

[KnottyAndPistey]

There will need to be a quick turnaround on this but we know hope we can do it!

We have been approached and asked if we can make Little Hugs for a group of teenagers coming over to Leeds for a recuperative holiday in the summer with the fabulous charity the Chernobyl Children's Project.

Each year these marvellous folk bring children over from Belarus who live in the most contaminated area near the Chernobyl reactor. It is in the summer, when the dust causes radiation levels to rise, that it becomes even more important for as many children as possible to leave their contaminated homeland for a few weeks of fresh air and clean food. The rates of childhood cancer are at 75%, the most common cancers being thyroid and leukaemia. Coming to the UK for a four week break increases their immunity against the awful disease by up to 3 years when they return home.

This year the group in Leeds (organised by an amazing Mumsnetter) are bringing twelve children who have had cancer and are now in remission. Sadly though there is a high chance of these children falling ill again. This summer there are four boys and eight girls coming, aged between 11 and 14. They all suffer living in such difficult conditions and with very little. How perfect it would be to make them each a Little Hug.

Here's how to help with this project.....

• We would like 12” squares in bright and cheery Stylecraft Special DK colours, but please AVOID bright green, bright pink, browns, greys, citron, fiesta and jaffa. This will help squares fit together more easily. Make for a boy, girl or in a non specific colour theme. We will be happy to accept 6” squares if making a 12” one feels too much.

• Crochet or knitted, 4mm hook or needles. No blocking and please sew in pesky ends.

• We can supply all yarn for this. Let us know if we can send to you.

• Our last posting is Saturday 14th June, so we have a fighting chance of getting the blankets ready to go to the children on their arrival in the UK.

• If anyone would like to donated funds to support this, we would be so grateful. Our paypal is [email protected], cheques and cash are very welcome too, just PM for the address to send.

We know together we can do this in time! On behalf of these children, a huge THANK YOU.

Pistey and Knotty X

Things on order???

not in this house

In order, obv....

No slapping, Knotty! You may bludgeon your knees gently with some soft yarn, if it makes you feel better.

Thanks all

What on earth would Richard Of York said as he Gave Battle In Vain?

Probably not much as he was giving battle in vain at the time. I don't suppose he had time to stop and look at woollyback's crochet?

Even while he battled vainly in, he like us wouldn't have given two hoots.

I have used indigo and violet in the wrong order

Well, there is a school of thought that says indigo have no place in the spectrum anyway. This makes sense as the colours blend into each other without the indigo (ie red plus yellow gives the orange in between etc).

[helpful]

has no place.

Or two hooks?

Bludgeon with yarn

Woolly love, all is well, it actually goes....

Really odious yaks gulp beers vigorously indoors

fret not

Anyone like to claim these beauties? Bluebell and meadow and as far as I can see unnamed.

I'll claim them Pistey as they're way better than the wobbly Granny square I have just posted to you!

Thank goodness for odious yaks and their beer habits

Just heading home after a MN meet-up with Oma and Pants. We had cake it is the law

Odious yaks definitely sound nicer than murderous old Richard.

I have cake too but I had to make it with assistance from my two year old which really isn't the same as buying it on a woolly meet up.

Hope you had fun.

Oh indeed we had. Pants bit off the head of her gingerbread man without so much as a backward glance. Woolly and I had civilised cakes

You have to put gingerbread men out of their misery asap. I'm not a fiend in human clothing after all.

Any excuse Pants. And no, you are certainly not a fiend.

We ask for so much, we know, but please just have a look, sharing our FB post from last night.... xx

Great excitement and equal amounts of nervousness here!
Can you help us sustain and develop our projects?

As part of Mumsnet Giving Week, Woolly Hugs been chosen to be one of 5 charitable causes being promoted by MNHQ. They will match fund the money raised.

First though, we need to raise over £1,000 in a week!

Every little could help us achieve this.

We know that times are particularly hard at the moment so if you could help by spreading the word, we would be grateful for that too.

Thank you xxxx

I am very happy to contribute a small amount but find the process of having to create an account for the JustGiving site a bit too much. Is there no direct way of making a contribution? It's never been this hard to make a JustGiving payment.

You don't need to create an account, you can click the "I don't want to create an account" link. Which, to be fair, is not very prominent!

Oh bless you lovely Oma thank you.

We are just over half way, tis extraordinary, we can't really believe it! So happy to have been nominated, now it's in action tis all rather overwhelming!

No, but if you don't want to create an account they want all your details anyway: a/c number, address etc. My previous JustGiving has just gone over PayPal and been a two click affair.

Posting some wee grannies off on Friday Pistey and Knotty. Will try to do a couple more before then though.

Thank you

16 squares