Volunteers stuff thousands of knitted creations as part of Big Chick Knit campaign

Volunteers have stuffed thousands of colourful knitted chicks as part of Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice’s major spring fundraisers.

The hospice, in Snowball Hill, is running the Big Chick Knit campaign for a third consecutive year as part of its wider Spring of Smiles.

The campaign looks to spread cheer and raise money for more than 200 babies, children and young people and their families helped by the hospice, which provides specialist care and support to children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their families across Berkshire, South Bucks and the surrounding counties.

As part of the Big Chick Knit campaign, hundreds of crocheters and knitters craft chicks, bunnies and other Easter animals such as sheep ready to be stuffed with donated Creme Eggs and other chocolate eggs.

Sessions are now underway with volunteers stuffing the creations with eggs before they go on sale from Monday, for £3 each, both online and within businesses, schools and shops in the area.

Just under 4,000 creations had already been stuffed ahead of the team’s session on Monday where volunteers were joined by Maidenhead MP Josh Reynolds who helped stuff the creations and put them into boxes ready to sell.

Hannah Pickup, community fundraiser at Alexander Devine, said last year’s campaign was ‘really successful’, with more than 5,000 creations, raising more than £15,000.

This year, the team is aiming to beat this with 6,000 creations, raising £18,000 for the hospice.

All the knitted animals are being tagged with Alexander Devine branding to help spread awareness of the hospice.

Volunteers have also been helping in a ‘chick hospital’ to repair creations that may be slightly damaged.

“It’s a really big community campaign for us,” Hannah said. “It’s a unique way to engage people from all different areas of the community.

“It’s a way for us to target our lovely crafty community, but then it’s also an easy way for organisations like schools to get involved.

“It’s a really big one for awareness and for community spirit.”

Hannah said the team is ‘really pleased’ with the turnout for the knitted items.

She paid tribute to the community’s support for the hospice, saying the team ‘just couldn’t do it without them.’

The funds raised go towards supporting services such as daycare sessions, overnight respite, a range of therapies and wider family support.

Hannah said Mr Reynolds is a ‘wonderful supporter’ of the hospice and the team were ‘grateful to be able to show him what we’re getting up to’.

She added she is really pleased with how this year’s campaign is going.

Mr Reynolds said: “It’s one of those campaigns which is fun and enjoyable for people to do, but also brings the community together.

“I think they’re going to smash the target.

“Every year they seem to do fantastically well, not just with this, but with so many of their fundraising campaigns.

“It’s such an important

facility to have in Maidenhead.”

Hannah is encouraging the community to support the campaign by purchasing a creation when they go on sale and is

inviting knitters and crocheters to get involved in next year’s campaign to ‘help make it even bigger and better’.

For more information, visit: www.alexanderdevine.org/spring-of-smiles