The Great British Beach Clean

1st Forest Hall Guides and 4 members of Forest Hall Trefoil Guild were found on Tynemouth Longsands this morning to help with the Great British Beach Clean organised by the Marine Conservation Society. The beach was deserted when we arrived.

In groups of three, armed with a litter picker, black bag, thick gloves and a clip board we roamed a 100m area from the high tide area to the dunes looking for litter. We had to log everything that was found and that is used for the annual summary report prepared by the society about the state of our beaches. 

I was impressed by how clean the beach was and most of the litter was just on the tide line so was probably washed up with the last tide. There were not many others there to do the clean so it was just as well we turned up. It is an activity that all ages could take part in so keep your eyes open for the next one, I would do it again. 

For more information take a look at www.mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean

This little piggy........

Forest Hall Trefoil Guild meet up every second Monday of the month and when I started this blog I said I would include what we do at the meetings. This month we were painting pigs. Kelly suggested we decorated the pigs to help a relative who is involved with a charity that helps bereaved children. The charity visits schools to explain about their work and give out the pig money boxes asking that they are used for donations for the charity. Kelly couldn't remember their name but it had Rainbow in it so there is a loose Guiding connection! Anyway for two hours we sat and painted with barely a word spoken as we concentrated. Here are my 4 little piggies, started off painting them all but the last one was spotty for quickness.

 Here are the rest of the pigs, our creative juices were certainly flowing that night.

100 hats in 100 days part 2

After taking my hats to the Post Office they were handed over with a heavy heart. Also slightly worried, what if they went missing in the post? No money could replace the time and sense of achievement I felt. So it was with relief  I read the post on Crafty Aid to say the hats had arrived in Hampshire. It's the end of my involvement with the hats but the start of a long journey to Uganda.

And in case you're wondering......no I haven't knitted any more since then but did buy some new wool yesterday ready to start again.

100 hats in 100 days

As part of "learning a new skill" I thought I would learn to crochet. My Mum used to crochet squares and take them to Oxfam so I thought I would give it a go. I tried many moons ago but could never master turning a corner. I spent an afternoon browsing the Internet to see who I could do the squares for and where they could be sent. Inevitably I got distracted by websites about knitting hats for premature babies so I thought I would investigate that instead. I found a group called Crafty Aid on facebook, the members of it knit hats (among other things) for a maternity hospital in Uganda. Inspiration struck - one of the sections of the Voyage Award is Explore my World and a category is Global. One of the suggestions is to "get involved with a global charity for 20 hours", from that came my plan. I started on the 6th May 2014 and kept timings to make sure I did 20 hours. After knitting about 15 hats I decided I needed to make it more of a challenge. As I lay in bed one night mulling this over it seemed appropriate that as Brownies are 100 years old this year I should knit 100 hats in 100 days. The next morning I worked out 100 days from 6th May which would take me up to 2 days before my holidays so I thought that was a sign and would do it. To make sure I kept to the target I announced it on Facebook  so that I now had to do it. 

The charity is the Basingstoke Hoima Partnership for Health  http://www.bhph.org.uk/home.  Amongst other activities, midwives and nurses go out to Hoima in Uganda to help in the maternity hospital. They take medical supplies and items for the babies - like hats.

Crafty Aid (https://www.facebook.com/groups/CraftyAid/) on Facebook help to co-ordinate desperately needed items for newborn babies in Uganda to help their survival. The hats are given to the new babies when they are born to help keep them warm which surprises me. I think of Africa as a hot country so why do babies need to wear woolly hats. Many new born babies in Uganda die of hypothermia which is frightening. The hats have to be in bright colours as that is what the mothers want. They also have to be in darkish colours as they are put on the baby when it is born and stay with that child until it no longer fits. If they are washed it would probably be in cold water so our traditional baby colours would be no good as they would soon look grubby. 

So the challenge was on and every night I sat and knitted a hat and then my brain started ticking over again. As I said Brownies are 100 years old this year and there are many enthusiastic badge collectors who are collecting badges commemorating the centenary. I have never designed a badge before and so I tentatively asked if anyone would be interested and the proceeds would go towards the cost of the wool and postage. I was overwhelmed with the response of people who wanted to buy it. I had 100 made (in keeping with the theme) and have practically sold them all which I never expected. Some very kind Guiding people also donated extra money or sent me wool to help. 

The final week of the challenge was looming and I got a bit worried as I knew I was out for 2 nights so I doubled my efforts. Normally I knit one hat a night and then stop but for the last week I just knitted until I'd had enough. And I did it, I was so proud of myself for sticking to it.

Today was the final step posting them off to the co-ordinator and they will be on their way to Uganda very soon.

I think I've satisfied the time requirement of 20 hours! It has actually taken about 150 hours and that doesn't include the sewing up (the part I hate doing). What will I do next?