Lockdown knitting raises fab £1k for charity
A Stirling woman who turned to knitting during lockdown has raised more than £1000 for charity.
Experienced knitter Fiona Rayfield of Torbrex made more than 25 items which she decided to sell off to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
They have included shawls, cowls and Fair Isle hats and gloves.
Fiona has raised £1300 for Macmillan Cancer Support by auctioning off her knitting.
She said:“most years, I raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support by holding a coffee morning.
“But this year that wasn’t possible because of Covid-19, so I came up with something different – turning my hobby into a fundraiser.”
Fiona held two online auctions – one in September and one in early December.
Each auction lasted approximately 10 days and, every day, Fiona posted new items on Facebook for her friends and family from far and wide to bid on.
At the end of the day, the highest bidder won.
Fiona and her husband Chris moved from London to Stirling eight years ago after she retired from a career in relationship management.
She was overwhelmed by the response to the fundraiser and by people’s generosity.
Fiona said:“i started knitting as a child, but the hobby had taken a back seat for many years.
“I was looking for a hobby in my retirement and, by this time, having grandchildren, I decided to take up knitting again.
“I enjoy trips to wool mills and shops and researching the various types of yarns that are used in knitting”.
During the fundraiser she received personal requests for items from people who had just missed out in the auction, for her to knit them something similar.
Fiona is now packaging up her knits and posting them to the lucky winners.
One hat and cowl set has been sent half way around the world to a former colleague in California, who bought it as a Christmas present for his wife.