Ever felt like knitting one of those cute little hats they put on Innocent Smoothie bottles? Now’s your chance!
If you were wondering where they came from, the answer is the general public in aid of a good cause. The Innocent Big Knit first began in 2003 as an initiative led by the brand to raise money for Age UK. For each knitted hat sold, the company give 25p to the charity. Over the last 16 years of the initiative, 7.5 million hats have been knitted and over £2million has been donated to Age UK.
Innocent Big Knit has a web page dedicated to inspiring patterns and lending advice on how to create your own smoothie hat, ranging from a simple bobble to dinosaurs and owls in both knitting and crochet styles. There are 41 patterns in total on the site, though Innocent encourage you to be creative and inventive once you’ve mastered the example patterns.
Once you’ve completed your masterpieces, send them to Innocent with a note detailing your name, address, the date and how many hats you’ve knitted. You’ll receive a thank you card in the return post along with details about the next big knit.
You can send them via post to Big Knit, Innocent Drinks, 342 Ladbroke Grove, London, W10 5BU, or alternatively just drop them into your local Age UK charity store. Please submit your hats before July 2019.
Age UK put the money raised to good use, aiding older people who have no one else to turn to for help. The charity sets up admin functions to help the aged claim benefits, locate and chose care homes, assist with home heating etc, alongside providing training, social activities and befriending services to combat loneliness. Grab your needles and get knitting!
