Knitter Evie helps to save our seabirds
Evie Maclean from Ardgour has been selling her hand-knitted pom poms and bags to help save seabirds, writes Kathie Griffiths.
The nine-year-old was so moved by the threat of avian flu that she raised £54 to donate to the National Trust for Scotland’s Save Our Seabirds campaign.
Evie got knitting and sold the pom poms and bags around her school and village after spotting a letter about the seabirds appeal in the post.
“Daddy didn’t read the letter at first but then I read it to him,” said Evie.
Having used her knitting wheel to make colourful pompoms and bags, she hand-drew posters and spent a Saturday cycling around the village to put them up, advertising her bags at 50p each and pompoms at 10p each.
The next week, she took all her knitted items to school, having enlisted the headteacher to put out an email to parents asking if pupils could donate money.
The conservation charity has praised her for her efforts.
Evie’s dad Ewen Maclean said: “This is Evie’s first charity fundraising event but she has always been fascinated by animals and birds in particular, and loves making sure the birds in the garden are well fed. We made bird boxes last summer and she is always thrilled to see the blue tits making their homes.
“She is delighted with the National Trust for Scotland’s appreciation for her hard work and for her determination to get others interested in Scotland’s seabirds and the threats they face.’
Ellie Owen, senior seabird officer at the National Trust for Scotland, added: “We were very touched when Evie wrote to us, asking us to please help save the seabirds with the money raised, and sending us a puffin picture she had drawn. It truly made our day.
“Evie has been inspirational and inventive in supporting our appeal and helping us to protect our seabirds, and we’re so grateful for the efforts she made to raise money and – very importantly – tell other people how they, too, can help to protect Scotland’s wonderful seabirds. Knowing we have the support of people like Evie gives us all the more motivation to keep working to improve seabird conservation in the special places we care for.”
If you’d like to follow Evie’s example and support the National Trust for Scotland’s Save Our Seabirds appeal or find out more about it, visit nts.org.uk/sos.