Global ‘Olympi’hens’ Project Benefits Youth Mental Health Charity

Eighty knitted hens, crafted by artisans across the world, have contributed to supporting a mental health charity dedicated to young individuals. Stuart Race, 47, who owns The Woolpatch yarn shop in Long Melford, Suffolk, received these hens as a gift for his shop’s front window, where they formed part of an Olympic-themed exhibition during July. These hens, dubbed the Olympi’hens, symbolized various nations participating in the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and originated from numerous countries. Mr. Race proceeded to sell the hens, generating £700 for The Nest charity, situated in Framlingham, an organization he stated was “blown away” by the contribution. “Some of these Olympi’hens have come from all over the world – we had one come from Melbourne and numerous from America and different states,” Mr Race commented. He added, “We were overwhelmed and it made a phenomenal display.” The display curated by Mr. Race remained exhibited until the conclusion of the Paralympics. Nevertheless, throughout the duration of the games, Mr. Race reported being overwhelmed by individuals expressing interest in purchasing the hens. Having already intended to utilize them for charitable fundraising, he opted to sell them, accumulating £700, an amount he described as “unbelievable for knitted and crocheted hens”. He noted, however, that selecting a charity to donate the funds to presented the “hard part”. “There are thousands of them out there and all doing amazing things,” he elucidated. “I knew from my personal belief that it had to be local. “As lovely as these national charities are, I didn’t really want it to go to a big charity where this little amount of money would maybe be swallowed up,” he stated. Each hen was knitted following a pattern known as The Emotional Support Chicken, and a swift online search for “chicken emotional health charity” directed Mr. Race to The Nest. “Within seconds I just knew this is our charity,” he further commented. He added, “It’s wonderful because it’s a new charity as well, it only started last year.” Mr. Race expressed admiration for the charity’s philosophy, which allows children facing mental health challenges to visit its farm, providing respite from daily life pressures. Recently, Mr. Race visited The Nest to deliver the funds, remarking that it was “heartwarming” to understand the destination of the donation. “We didn’t set out to raise money for a charity and that is what makes me so happy about this project,” he stated, adding, “It’s just wonderful considering it started off asking for a few chickens to make our window display to look lovely.” “It’s just blown me away… it makes my heart burst,” he concluded. For his upcoming Christmas display, Mr. Race is planning to feature knitted or crocheted wine bottle cardigans in various green hues. Subsequently, he intends to arrange dozens of wine bottles to form the shape of a Christmas tree. The shop proprietor indicated that, should sufficient interest arise, he might potentially leverage this project to generate additional funds for charitable causes. For updates on Suffolk news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available for review.