Ginny and Gertie – or, Pistey & Knotty, as they’re otherwise known – are the inspiring ladies behind Woolly Hugs. The special duo have a passion for helping those in need, through handmade crochet and knits, and they open their arms to people from all corners of the world and walks of life. We caught up with Gertie to find out more…

Can you explain how Woolly Hugs started?
Woolly Hugs grew from a tradition of making blankets for bereaved families on the online forum Mumsnet. Ginny and I had coordinated some crafting on there, but we really wanted to incorporate more folk and so decided to create proactive projects that people could get involved in.

The name Woolly Hugs was coined from the direct response of one recipient, who had received a blanket, and it just felt right. The first of these proactive projects came in September 2012 – it was our Little Hug project, making blankets for sick youngsters at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.


We set up our website, initially as a photo album of blankets that volunteers had made, and started using social media. Things have developed at a pace ever since! We now reach thousands of people and are growing all the time, not just in the UK – we have blanketeers and contributors from all corners of the globe. The joy of social media is that even those who are isolated by geography or suffer ill health can join in equally. Which is fabulous.

Woolly Hugs has had no real launch as such, but quickly evolved, and we attained charitable status in June earlier this year. Despite what the media will have you believe, the world is full of good people, too. We’ve always operated on an inclusive basis, so no one is excluded because they can’t afford to join projects. We actively seek out donations and fundraise to make this happen, which is very important for us.

What inspired you to start this service?
We were inspired by blankets already made to give support, and wanted to extend that. There is a lovely history of women in communities coming together to give comfort – perhaps we are the modern equivalent, and anyone’s welcome to join.

We want to help others and we know how to make a difference – it may be on a small scale, but if one person - wherever in the world they may be - feels one ounce of love, support and comfort through our projects, it is worth it.


What is the response like of the recipients?
We have found this overwhelming at times, and it varies from each family or individual. One recipient – a bereaved mum - said that it was the sense of knowing she was loved and looked after. Others have said that even when going through very bleak times, knowing that someone cared enough to do this and was thinking of them, gave them strength and hope.

Many recipients have been genuinely touched that people who they’ve never met would show such empathy and compassion towards another in their situation. We always say that each blanket or item has love in every stitch. It really is true.

Have the craft community got on board?
One thing we can say straightaway is that the knitting and crochet community around us have the biggest, most generous hearts – full of enthusiasm, compassion and love. They never fail to amaze us, and the age of volunteers range from young children learning new skills to wonderful individuals in extreme old age. Everyone can make a difference, and we find the support of this community very humbling. We don’t advertise as such, but our crafters and donors seem to spread the word.

We welcome individuals, schools, crafting groups, residential homes and whoever would like to be involved. We love everyone and genuinely welcome crafters at all levels of ability, from beginners through to the more experienced. It is the love and thought that counts. All are welcome.


What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
Knowing that together we can make a difference to the folk who receive them, but also giving people an opportunity to do something. We hear this a lot from crafters – most recently in reference to our Refugee Project and another one in memory of Jo Cox, Hope Not Hate.

People needed to do something and together we can - one square, one blanket, a pair of gloves, one warm hat – one step at a time every little thing will help.

It is so rewarding seeing people come together in a collective show of humanity, and to do something to help today. We had a message from one crafter in her eighties, thanking us for giving her purpose again. We know others who struggle with their mental health also find crafting really helps. We’re so glad that Woolly Hugs can help such lovely people in that way too.

Do you have any exciting plans for the year ahead?
This is a funny one for us, and people do ask. We might be a small charity but we are ambitious and always have ideas – we are very open to folk approaching us with ideas too, this is the ‘together’ part. But we don’t really know exactly where we are going, and have no map or time frame. It has been an organic process: we are flexible creative thinkers and don’t get fazed or worried. Instead of thinking outside the box, we prefer to think there is no box! This makes it very exciting indeed!

Our Chernobyl project for 2017 is already three times as big as 2016, and we are also looking to build our Refugee project and start new ones. We will continue our work with the following questions: What have we got? What can we do? How can we make it work/happen? World domination is ours!

To join any of the projects Woolly Hugs is involved with, visit woollyhugs.org