New Lincoln charity The Blanket Bank has officially launched at the Arboretum Autumn Fair.
Interfaith organisation The Centre for Reconciliation has started the Blanket Bank to collect handmade throws in time for winter.
Anyone struggling to afford heating can access this service at the Lincoln Hygiene Bank, and people can create either blankets or 10-centimetre squares.
The Blanket Bank has already received its first donation. It has used the Arboretum Autumn Fair on Saturday, September 16 to raise awareness of the charity.
Melissa Wheeler, an employee at The Centre for Reconciliation, was running the stall.
Melissa said: “We want to bring everybody together to do their crafts. Since covid it’s been difficult for people to interact, but crafting is a universal language.
“We want to start trading information with the rest of the local community about how they can help.”
Donations can be dropped off at any Lincoln Hygiene Bank location, the Fabric Corner, The Wool Box or Cosy Crafters.
Individual squares can be made with any method, including knitting, quilting and crochet, and will be sewn together later.
Melissa came up with the idea of The Lincoln Blanket Bank approximately nine weeks ago.
The Centre for Reconciliation also runs a Cosy Crafters club where people can get together and learn to make blankets.
Cosy Crafters takes place at the Lincoln Unitarian Chapel on Wednesdays, from 11am to 1pm.
Melissa said: “If there’s someone who’s struggling with their heating in the winter, we can give them one of those blankets, but it’s also about knowing that this is something that somebody has put effort into. There’s love going into something that’s handmade.
“I’m hoping that we get a lot of community involvement. We’re planning to have more workshops with Cosy Crafters to teach people things like knitting.”
To find out more about upcoming workshops, people can look up @tcfreconcile on social media.