Crafting for charity

Recently, my home town hosted a village show (Chapeltown village show). This gave the community the opportunity to show of their crafty creations, home baked goodies and home grown produce. I myself had a crafty venture or two at the show. In keeping with this community spirit, Marie’s Tea Room, which I happen to own, has also recently hosted 3 bingo nights raising valuable money for a local little boy called Oscar. I have to say, it never ceases to amaze how a community can be so helpful and, of course, crafty. All coming together in times of need or just for a social time

On Wednesday mornings I run a chat and crochet group and we’d all decided that we would enter our own individual items.  I then came up with the idea of crocheting squares and putting together a blanket to raise more money for Oscar and enter this into the show. Everyone was really excited to take part. How did it go I hear you ask? Well, we were all in agreement and the brief was set…crochet 2 squares each; 10 rounds using double knit and a 3.5mm hook. The squares could be made up of 1 colour or multi-coloured. Each square was then crocheted together to make a lovely blanket. 3^rd place! Woohoo! This blanket would not have happened if it hadn't been the good community spirit and members of my chat and crochet group and it is all thanks to them too in achieving this.

Oscar is a lovely little boy who has touched many hearts in the community. His Mummy and Daddy, Chantil and Andrew work really really hard in fundraising money to help Oscar receive treatment enabling him to reach his potential and to live a full and happy life. Oscar suffered complications when he was born and was starved of oxygen. This starvation left Oscar with cerebral palsy and he is unable to walk, talk or do most things for himself. He receives specialist physio and speech therapy care at Bobath Centre. Bobath centre is based in London and helps children like Oscar. These sessions were paid for by the NHS but due to government spending cuts this has stopped. Each session costs £6,500, Oscar has 1 session a year.

In the end, we raffled this blanket and managed to raise £70. We as Marie’s Tea room and supporters hope we have helped towards Oscar’s treatment this year.  We, I think, may have raised about £800 in total with bingo nights and selling little happy bags. I have had permission from Chantil to write a little summary of Oscar and his treatment. I feel I have raised people’s awareness a little bit more in Chapeltown via the tea room and hope it continues. Oscar is a lovely little boy and so his his family. I hope I can continue to support Oscar in the future.