Appeal issued to Dublin knitters

AGE Action and innocent drinks have appealed to Dubliners to get knitting as time is running out as the 2017 Big Knit draws to a close.

“Already our knitting ninjas have sent in tens of thousands of little hats that will be adorning the tops of innocent smoothie bottles in the months to come,

? said Caroline O’Connell, Head of Fundraising with Age Action.

“Every single hat makes a difference because every hat means a donation to Age Action so that we can keep helping older people living alone.

“The response from knitters across the capital city has been fantastic. You can hear the needles clicking every where you go.

“We’re already on course to break our record but our target this year is really ambitious and we really need to get a hundred thousand little woolly hats in by the end of July.

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The Big Knit is Age Action’s biggest single annual fundraiser. For every hat knitted, innocent drinks generously donate 30 cent to support Age Action’s Care & Repair Programme, which receives no State funding, and provides support to thousands of older people across Dublin.

Veronica, a Care & Repair client, said:

“An Age Action volunteer came and fixed my bathroom seat and installed two free carbon monoxide alarms. It’s fantastic to have this support. I really don’t know what I would do without them.

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Caroline O’Connell added:

“Last year our volunteers carried out more than 32,000 DIY jobs, home visits and telephone contacts for older people like Veronica all over Ireland. 

“For many of our clients this might be their only contact with someone all week. It could be the difference between being safe, warm and cosy and being nervous, cold and uncomfortable.

“But we can’t keep the service going without your help so whether you’re a beginner or an expert, we need you to grab your needles, round up some wool and get knitting.

“They can be any colour, any design or look and we have plenty of patterns and ideas to spark your imagination at www.thebigknit.ie.

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Matthew Gavin, Brand and Communities Specialist with innocent drinks Ireland, said:

“Now in its eighth year, we’re very proud of the Big Knit at innocent drinks as, through it, we’ve been able to donate

?¬140,000 to Age Action and help older people stay well and warm in winter. 

“We love when knitters drop in to our offices to share their stories and favourite hat designs. This year, we’ve decided to make an even bigger difference, so, for the first time since the Big Knit started, we are aiming to put 100,000 little hats on our smoothie bottles.

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Every winter, as many as 2,000 older people in Ireland die needlessly because of complications due to the cold.

People aged 65 and over are seven times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of colder temperatures, compared with those aged 18 to 44.

Last year’s donation of

?¬20,000 funded 24,000 DIY jobs in 34 locations around the country, through Age Action’s Care & Repair programme.

All the hats are hand-knitted by Irish people around the country. From October 2017, the nation’s little hats will appear on innocent smoothie bottles (250ml) across the country. For each bottle sold wearing a little hat, innocent Drinks will donate 30 cent to Age Action.

Hats can be sent to The Big Knit 2017, innocent drinks, Fruit Towers, 2 Ballsbridge Park, Dublin 4 or dropped into any of Age Action’s shops or offices in Dublin, Cork, and Monaghan.