The fun and creative Quilting Academy group at Bell House meets every week to work on both individual and group quilting activities. Led by Janis and Marianne, the Quilting Academy is currently working on a new important and challenging project: The Hot Water Bottle project.
Hot watter bottles waiting to be covered.
A month ago, during a cold snap, food bank staff knew there were homes where residents could not afford to put the central heating on, particularly as we were all at home all day long, but they could boil a kettle so they asked for new hot water bottles. It’s natural that the first thing anyone thinks to donate to a food bank is food but in fact lots of other things are needed too, like toiletries, detergents, or hot water bottles for those in fuel poverty. As a response to the shout out from the local food banks, the idea of hot water bottles began to germinate. A group of keen knitters and stitchers from both the Quilt Academy at Bell House and Dulwich Quilters purchased well-priced ‘naked’ hot water bottles and used existing stocks of fabrics and yarns to ensure the cuddly bottles were ready to hand over.
However, some covers were still on the needles when the first snowflakes started to fall on the ground in February. The group has not given up yet, and the idea is now being proactive ahead of next winter. The Quilting Academy has made a bulk purchase of 100 bottles and will reach out to other stitching groups in the area. The ideal goal would be that each participant could quilt or knit a cover for two or three bottles. This will allow local food banks to receive supplies in the autumn and be prepared for the next winter. Watch this space!