Woolly Hat Week

KNITTERS UNITE!

We are asking people to knit woolly hats for the world’s seafarers. Many arrive on our shores ill-prepared for the cold and chilly climate we have here. Fresh from the warmer countries of Indonesia, India and the Philippines, seafarers readily take advantage of the woolly hats offered to them by the BISS Port Chaplains around the country.

We are delighted to welcome PATONS WOOLS as our partner for 2006 as we work together to knit enough hats for our seafarers.

If you are interested in knitting a hat please download the pattern here or email us at – woollyhats@biss.org.uk – giving us your name and address and we will send you a free knitting pattern and information pack.
You can help by:

Encouraging your friends to knit
If you are a member of a craft or knitting group ask them to help too.
You could set up a sponsored knit-a-thon.

When you have knitted your hats, please return them to:

Mrs Jan Webber
Head of Fundraising
British & International Sailors’ Society
350 Shirley Road
Southampton
SO15 3HY

If you have any questions please call Rebecca Young: 023 80 51 59 58 or email ryoung@biss.org.uk

Did you know that...
seafaring is one of the most dangerous occupations
95% of the world's trade is transported by sea?
seafarers can spend weeks if not months at a time at sea?
loneliness is common amongst seafarers.
The British & International Sailors' Society cannot make the sea less dangerous but it can 'bridge the gap between ship and shore'.
The British & International Sailors' Society provides practical help and Christian care to seafarers and their families throughout the world, without regard to nationality, background or faith.
Remember to have fun and start knitting!!

A little bit about why Woolly Hat Week is important!

A Woolly Hat is a basic and essential item of clothing for seafarers. BISS Port Chaplains give out 10,000 hats each year, 6,000 of which are given in Christmas parcels, so that the seafarers have something to open on Christmas Day. The remaining hats are given out on a regular basis to seafarers, particularly those from warmer climates, as they are ill-prepared for our changeable weather when they arrive here in the UK.

What can you do?

We are asking people to pay £1 and wear their woolly hats to work for this week and we are also encouraging people to knit hats for seafarers during this week!

You can find out how to knit hats and where to send them here

Fundraising

We are asking people to wear their woolly hats to work and at work during this week and raise funds for BISS. Here are some hints as to how you can raise funds for us:

Encourage your work colleagues to wear their woolly hats and ask them to pay £1 for the privilege. We can supply you with branded button badges so that you know who has paid their £1.
Sponsor the boss to wear his woolly hat in an important meeting.
Have a competition for the silliest, best decorated or most colourful hat.
Have an inter-departmental competition with prizes for the winners. Pay £1 to enter the competition.
Ask other departments to take part or sponsor you for doing so.
Arrange a sponsored knit, get sponsorship for the number of hours spent knitting or the number of hats knitted.
Think of fundraising ideas and ideas that can be FUN!
Feed back your ideas to us, so that we can share them with others.
If your company is taking part, let us know, we will add you to a special page of participants.

Remember that 95% of the world’s trade is moved by sea. As an island we depend heavily on seafarers to deliver our Christmas goodies to the shops. Spare a thought for those less fortunate who will be spending Christmas away from home.

We hope that you will embrace this fundraising idea and help us to help seafarers throughout the world.

Facts about BISS

• The oldest Christian maritime charity, dating back to 1818
• Operates in the UK and overseas, covering 90 ports in 28 different countries
• Provides communication, shelter, social welfare, financial aid and spiritual support to seafarers irrespective of their religious faith, nationality or background.

Why am I reporting all this on my daily blog ? Quite simply because my town lives by the sea, its life and history are the story of seafarers. We are an island people, a proud maritime nation.