Resident knitting enthusiasts of Icknield Court Care Home took on a 28 day knitting challenge to raise money for local charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
As a month-long activity in February, Icknield Court’s Activity Coordinators encouraged the resident knitters to use different colours of wool to knit squares on a daily basis. Each square was then sewn together to make beautiful, cozy blankets which where then wrapped into abundantly coloured parcels ready to donate to the deserving Charity.
Regular updates were sent to both relatives and friends throughout the month and a JustGiving link was set up to help raise a target of £100 for the charity which also helped spur the residents along with their knitting. Once the fundraising deadline was reached, the residents actually raised an impressive total of £163.00. This donation will go a long way in helping to support the charity but it has also entitled Icknield Court residents to have their own sponsorship of a puppy. The home will now receive regular updates and photographs of the puppy’s progress throughout it’s life.
To celebrate, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People visited the Home with three of their dogs, Jerry, Big Bree and Hope, who proved hugely popular with the residents. The bundle of blankets was given to the Charity by resident Joyce Miles, with the donation cheque being presented by Activity Coordinators, Kayleigh Jones, Lucy Skidmore and Liz Jones.
Dog lover and resident of Icknield Court Jean Lishman commented: “I enjoyed sewing the squares and it was a very good way of producing a blanket. All of this reminded me of a Dalmatian my father had, he was such a gorgeous dog.”
Darcy Power, a representative from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People commented: “When I found out about this fundraiser I was so thrilled and couldn’t be more thankful. We are happy to be able to share what we do with Icknield Court and let the residents know how their contributions have helped us and introduce them to our dogs! This has been a great experience to not only socialise the dogs but for us also to give back to the residents. I love the idea of us nurturing our relationship with the home even more in the future.”
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a charity based in Saunderton who trains dogs to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds they would otherwise miss. You can find out more information on them here.