Woolly warriors needed in Berkshire for the innocent Big Knit

The innocent Big Knit campaign has returned and Age UK Berkshire is calling on the knitters and crocheters of Berks to get their knitting needles out to help raise urgent funds for older people most in need.

This is the 18^th year that innocent has been running the Big Knit in partnership with Age UK and woolly warriors are needed again this year to craft some little hats to sit on innocent smoothie bottles. For each be-hatted smoothie sold, Age UK receives 25p, which will help the Charity make a big difference to the lives of older people.

With many of us spending lots of time at home at the moment it’s a great opportunity for stitching superstars to get crafting, or for knitting newbies to grab some needles and give it a whirl. The pandemic has had a huge impact on older people over the past year so Age UK is in need of these little hats more than ever to help raise funds for its vital services.

Fiona Price, Chief Officer of Age UK Berkshire said: “We need the people of Berks to join us and help knit as many miniature hats as possible to help us hit our 1,990 hat target. It’s been a challenging time for everyone, but this is a really fun campaign to get involved in and it’s a great activity to do whilst we’re all spending more time at home.

“The money raised from these little hats will make a big difference to the lives of older people in our area, many of whom have been badly affected by the pandemic. Every hat knitted will help to fund our hugely important services, including befriending lonely and isolated people, providing essential information and advice, supporting those who’ve just come home from hospital, and more.”

Katie Simpson, Head of Brand at innocent drinks, said: "We’re delighted to be working with Age UK on the Big Knit once again. After a hard year, we want to make this campaign as big as possible so we can help more older people than ever. We’re incredibly grateful to all the heroic volunteers helping us get there.”

For more information on The Big Knit, visit https://www.ageuk.org.uk/berkshire/about-us/news/. To take part, contact Age UK Berkshire’s Communications Coordinator Sabita at sabita.burke@ageukberkshire.org.uk. Please send completed hats to Age UK Berkshire at Huntley House, 119 London St, Reading, RG1 4QA by the end of June at the latest.

There are six exciting new optional hat designs for this year, including a rainbow, rabbit, cupcake, pom pom, fox and bird. These knitting and crochet patterns are available to download. Visit: www.ageuk.org.uk/bigknit or www.thebigknit.co.uk.

ENDS

Notes to editors

* Hats will go on sale in February 2022

About Age UK Berkshire 

We're Age UK Berkshire and our goal is to enable older people across the whole of Berkshire to enjoy later life.

Who we are

Age is different for everyone, of course, and the challenges and demands are different for everyone, too. At Age UK Berkshire we are many things to many people: a source of advice, information, support, companionship and enjoyment.

We are the leading organisation providing integrated health and wellbeing services for older people across Berkshire, a local independent charity and part of the Age UK brand.

What we do

We believe that everyone can love later life - we do this by inspiring, supporting and enabling in a number of ways:

• To encourage choice and opportunity for older people.
• To be a direct service provider of high quality services for older people.
• To ensure that older people are aware of, and have access to, the benefits to which they are entitled.
• To advocate on behalf of older people.
• To promote positive attitudes towards older people and ageing.

How we do that

• We provide support and services that make a positive difference to the quality of older people’s lives, including the most vulnerable and isolated.
• We have been working with local people since June 1950.
• We have around 160 hard-working and dedicated volunteers.
• In 2019, we have about 45 employees, most of whom work part-time.
• Employees and volunteers undergo checks with the Disclosure & Barring Scheme (which used to be the Criminal Records Bureau)
• Age UK Berkshire is an independent organisation responsible for its own funds and governance.
• A Board of Trustees oversees the management of the organisation and they are responsible to Age UK Berkshire Members.

About Age UK

Age UK is a national charity that works with a network of partners, including Age Scotland, Age Cymru, Age NI and local Age UKs across England, to help everyone make the most of later life, whatever their circumstances.

In the UK, the Charity helps more than seven million older people each year by providing advice and support. It also researches and campaigns on the issues that matter most to older people. Its work focuses on ensuring that older people: have enough money; enjoy life and feel well; receive high quality health and care; are comfortable, safe and secure at home; and feel valued and able to participate

Age UK’s subsidiary charity, Age International, supports older people globally in over 30 developing countries by funding programmes such as vital emergency relief and healthcare and campaigning to raise awareness and change policies.

Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England (registered charity number 1128267 and registered company number 6825798). Charitable services are provided through Age UK and commercial products are offered by the Charity’s Community Interest Company (CiC) (registered company number 1102972) which donates its net profits to Age UK (the Charity).

About innocent

Launched in 1999, innocent is Europe’s favourite little healthy drinks brand. We sell natural, healthy products – smoothies in little and big bottles; smoothies and juice for kids; a refreshing range of not-from-concentrate juice and coconut water, a dairy-free range and bubbles: our lightly sparkling fruit juices.

We became a B Corp back in 2018 – an independent validation of what we’ve always believed in. We joined a movement of businesses around the world that are committed to being a force for good. And doing business in a way which is better for the planet, and the people living on it.

We donate 10% of profits to charity, mainly to the innocent foundation, which supports charities working all over the world so that they can help the world's hungry. We believe that everything we make should taste good and do good too. So we try to make it easier for people to do themselves some good, and to leave the planet a little bit better than how we found it.

This is reflected in everything we do, from the use of green electricity at Fruit Towers, to sourcing fruit from places that go the extra mile in terms of looking after all the people that work on the farms and the environment, through to committing to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

If you fancy finding out more, head to www.innocentdrinks.co.uk