St Pancras Knitters & Knit-a-Square
St Pancras Knitters meet in the church lounge every Wednesday from 2pm-4pm. We became
involved in 2015 and have up to 20 members meeting weekly, plus others in the
local community who knit for us in their homes. We knit to support Knit-a-Square (KAS),
whose aim is to raise awareness and help for the orphaned and vulnerable 'Street Children'
in South Africa by sending knitted squares for blankets, beanie hats and hand warmers to
provide warmth and love.
For any enquiries about joining please see details at the end of this page and you
can keep up-to-date with our Knitting Newsletters here.
Did you know there are over 3 million orphaned Street children in South Africa living often with little or no shelter?
As at the beginning of February 2024 our running total of blankets is 1064!!
Congratulations everyone on such an amazing achievement.
Several members of the congregation, and the wider community, faithfully provide squares and regularly give towards postage. We completed a 24 hour ‘knit in’ session during last Summer where we raised *£2000*, £1500 of which was sent direct to KAS to help with their current deficit, leaving £500 to be used to help with our postage costs etc. to ensure we can keep sending parcels!
Sometimes we have chunky wool donated to us which we cannot use for the blankets so one of our members uses this to crochet blankets for those in need in Plymouth. These are distributed to the Dementia Ward at Mount Gould Hospital, The Jasmine Mother’s Recovery Centre, (a residential rehabilitation centre exclusively for mothers and their children and a part of ‘Trevi’ here in Plymouth), and the Homeless in Plymouth through the work of the ‘Soup Run’. So far she has distributed 214 blankets!
We are totally self-funded and thank the Lord regularly for continued support. Every member pays £1 per week, which goes towards postage, plus the knitters donate loose change which is sent periodically to KAS in South Africa to help with their costs to RECEIVE our parcels!! Yes, they have to pay to receive parcels!
Thank you to all who support us in one way or another - please know that your support is very much valued and appreciated.
St Pancras' support for KAS is headed up by Trish Gribble, who has raised awareness of this project through talks including Peverell Methodist Church afternoon group, The Guildhall and Mainstone Community Groups. As a result, we have new members of the community knitting for us, including members of the St Boniface 'Knit and Chat' group who regularly pass in squares along with postage for us to send on to KAS.
This project also provides value and purpose for those who are housebound, lonely or in need of some social interaction. As a result, some now attend church services and other church events. We pray regularly as individuals for the children and periodically pray together as a group when we meet.
The Bible is clear that we should support the widows and orphans. This is our mission. We are there to serve and support. Please pray for the children, for the team at Knit-a-square and for us as we continue to support, provide warmth, and send a message of love to each and every child.
If you would like to know more about our Knit-a-square group or would like to support us in this mission you can contact us via the Church office at admin@stps.org.uk, Contact Us, Facebook or leave a message on 01752 772499 (please note the office is not open every day so it may take a few days for someone to get back to you).
Each child is told when they are wrapped in their blanket that they are unique and loved.
