26th April 2011

The Borrowers Ltd and The Anchor Inn, Combwich are sponsoring a knit-in and we’re looking for volunteers of any age, sex or ability to come and have a cuppa (or something stronger!) and a Jammy Dodger and knit one (yes just one) 10” x 10” square in plain knit so we can make some blankets for Britain’s homeless. 

We need 18 squares to make one blanket so the more the merrier.

Can’t knit?  Don’t worry, we’re not good at it either but we can have fun learning!

Can’t make it?  Don't worry, knit in your own time and send in your square by 16th May.

Where:  The Anchor Inn, Combwich

When:  Monday 2nd May 2011 – drop by anytime between 11am-4pm

Bring:  Knitting needles (and any spares you may have which we can borrow for the day) spare, unused wool, old jumpers for unraveling, Mums, Dads, kids, Nanas, Gramps, friends, neighbours.

Reward:  Pack of veg seeds for each square knitted, free cuppa, meet new people, feel good factor, have fun fun fun!

Tracey Smith, radio and TV presenter, journalist, author of The Book of Rubbish Ideas and campaigner is also the founder of, and has been raising awareness of, the International Downshifting Week for 7 years and this year is set to be the noisiest one yet. 

Downshifting isn’t about selling up and moving to a tree-house, but more about taking a breather from all this mad consumerism and finding a better work/life balance, something we’re trying to encourage on The Borrowers website.  It’s about saving money, re-using the things you already have, sharing your belongings and putting those things going to waste in the back of your cupboards to good use (like unused wool into blankets!).

It seems mad to think of the cold and snow when we have such glorious warm sunshine at the moment, but this year Tracey is on a mission to get 2011 blankets made in time for the winter months ahead to donate to Britain’s homeless.

According to Shelter, “Every 2 minutes, someone loses their home”.  Seems unthinkable in this day and age really, but with government cuts and unemployment set to rise, the knock-on effect will probably mean this figure will increase as more people struggle with rising costs, mortgage increases and credit card debt. 

Homelessness doesn’t necessarily put all those people on the streets but there are still almost 2000 people (many in their teens) sleeping rough in the UK, with an estimated 270 in the South West*. That’s the known figure – who knows what the real numbers are?!

Between Oct - Dec 2010, local housing authorities made 26,060 decisions on applications for housing assistance, under the homelessness legislation, a rise of 23% on the same quarter in 2009*.

The number of households in England in temporary accommodation at the end of December was 48,010^

Shelter help more than 170,000 people a year fight for their rights, get back on their feet, and find and keep a home.

We hope you can spare an hour to drop by on MayDay bank holiday and help us knit a blanket or three to keep some of these people warm.  We have an “Event” set up on Facebook – “Combwich Knit In”.  Please “Accept” if you can make it and let your friends know. 

Thanks for reading and hope to see you soon.

Lynn

*  National Statistics website  
^  www.homelessness.org.uk