KnitNell

“A christmas kiss anyone…..?”

The Farnham Local Food fashion show last Monday night turned out to be a huge success – everyone worked  hard and were rewarded with, not only a very enjoyable evening, but a satisfying amount of raised money.  Hurray!

So many members volunteered their time and belongings – white sheets were found to create a temporary changing room,  slow cookers were brought so that mulled wine could be warm on the night, mince pies and wonderful cheesy nibbles were made to accompany the glasses of wine, while others dodged death and the cold to help man the parking areas (I am teasing here – all visitors drove and parked impeccably I am sure …)

Three members who had originally turned up at FLF in order to donate their free time to digging, weeding and planting found themselves  donning fashion clothes, rather a lot of makeup and walking down a catwalk – again to support their belief in freshly produced local food.  Not only did they thoroughly enjoy themselves but they turned out to be really confident models.

The joy of volunteering – and I do believe it is a joy – is that it can lead to doing and trying things that we would otherwise not have a chance to do.  It can also lead to meeting far more like-minded and community-spirited people than ever we thought possible.  So basically, I suppose, what I am saying is that volunteering is not only about helping other people but it can also be beneficial to the one who volunteers.

In the Summer I received a donation of a lot of yarn – mainly suitable for babies and children’s knitted clothes.  I took it to my Wednesday evening knitting and crochet group where the members suggested we used it to knit for a local hospital’s neonatal clinic.  We had a look at BLISS and Ray of Hope for guidance and advice.

This was the result – small blankets, cardigans, hats (some with special flaps to enable access to neonatal machines) socks and bootees.  A job well done and a job enjoyed but not a job with a salary.  Does it matter though – it seems there may be more than one way of being prosperous.

Cheers and enjoy the holidays.