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

They BETTER HAD!

they're here....

Oh wonderful!!
Hope everything goes smoothly

At Kings Cross waiting for the train to Leeds. Today's the day the Hugs go to the children. So pleased we've done this. Just brilliant. Huge thanks to everyone.

Have a super day Pistey!

What an exciting day! It's so lovely to give hugs for a happy occasion :) Can't wait to hear all about it, Pistey! Hope you've had a lovely day

Today...

More...

Love the choice of replica kits

Thinking of the ilove gang - am at Walsingham so you are all in my prayers

Thankyou. They aren't replica kits - LFC send me kits for the kids each year, tis lovely of them. They had a fantastic day, they all took home sackfulls of clothes too. Some of them have arrived with virtually nothing but what they were stood up in, and they are such lovely children.

I am absolutely shattered, my feet are killing me!

Fab photos, so many wonderful smiles!

It was an absolutely privilege and honour to meet the children from the Children of Chernobyl project in Leeds yesterday, and to be with them for a little while. Had a huge lump in my throat but a big smile on my face as we gave out the blankets from us all. Love in every stitch we say, never truer.

They loved them, and it's fabulous to know that we will give them comfort, hugs and help keep them warm when they go home, this coming winter and for the time to come. So glad we did this together. Bless their hearts, and those too who will be caring for them and making sure they have the best of times whilst they are in Leeds for the next month.

ilove, what you all do is amazing x

Our pics are on Facebook, but will transfer them to the website now, the page is here. Not lots of pics, didn't want to be intrusive, you know, but just lovely to see the children with their blankets. xx

Huge thanks to EVERYONE who took part in this project

There we are, ALL photos from this project and all the crafting info now safely stored on our website...

Here........

Oh! have looked at all the photos now, and have had a good cry, they all look so lovely and so very hopeful. Just so glad that I joined in with this.

For Pistey and Knotty

Just catching up with this thread, have a lump in my throat. Feel really privileged to be part of something so lovely. ilove you are amazing

Wondering how their trip is going, know they had lots planned this week, hope they are all having a great time xx

Morning :)

Hello all. Will c&p bis from the message I sent Pistey just now.

the kids are amazing, bless them. Eating really well, settling in with the families too. We had our Lord Mayors reception on Monday which is always stressful, and the interpreter did not cope well with it

Yesterday we were at Mrilove's work, a huge chemical plant in Bradford, where the children got to do experiments and make slime, and clean water etc. One of the little girls who has had ovarian cancer didn't deal so well with it all and needed some extra looking after but we dealt with that

Today is the opticians and tomorrow Yorkshire Wildlife Park

The interpreter has some "social aniety" issues which is causing me a lot of extra stress and work, I had a friend come over the other night to talk to her after I found her braying like a donkey in my kitchen , and found that she comes from a village very near the Polish border, has no running water or sanitation in her house, outside toilet, so coming into my house has been a massive culture shock to her. She is not used to dealing with adults at all and is struggling with it here, and her English isn't brilliant - it is her third language not her second

So, I have spoken to my boss and we are bringing in another interpreter to Gatwick on Sunday's flight, to help me out. Just got to get her to leeds or Bradford as we are at the Media Museum on Sunday then ice skating

And on we go!!!..

ilove
What an amazing holiday you are giving these lovely children!

Sorry to hear about the interpreter though, poor soul, hope she improves and calms down.

All best wishes for a trouble free time.

5 hours in the opticians today, 12 children, 2 adults. 3 children and the interpreter all need glasses, so time well spent

Absolutely love the photos, bless them.
Wow, ilove you are a star doing this, especially with your foot. Hope you are not in too much pain! How on earth did the interpreter get the job :S Goodness, glasses will change so much for them, but what an expense - do you have to source funding for everything? Is it ok to ask? Please feel free to ignore if not.

Tis fine to ask :)

I source funding and sponsorship for everything, and beg and blag stuff where possible, and if I have to pay I ask for a discount for cash. Every penny in and out is receipt end, so we know exactly where it has gone.

Today we were at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, paid for by our local Lions group, and we had the most wonderful day. I am shattered, it is the mental,stress that gets me and the fear of losing a child - took 31 of them today!

The eye tests and glasses have been paid for by Boots opticians, they did it for me last year too xx

Wow, what an amazing thing to do, ilove. You'll need a holiday by the time they go home! I hope they are having a lovely time and the interpreter is doing a bit better now.