UK knits more than 89 hats an hour to save children's lives

Since Paul O'Grady spoke about the charity's new knitting campaign on a recent show Save the Children has received a staggering 20,000 baby hats over the past 14 days.

Thursday 10 April 2008

That's:

  • more than 1,000 hats a day
  • 89 hats made every waking hour
  • 40,000 needles clacking away across the nation
  • 20,000 more babies who will now have a much better chance of surviving the first few months of life

A woolly hat can mean the difference between life and death for a newborn baby as they can't regulate their own body temperature. It takes just 2 minutes for a wet, newborn baby to lose a dangerous 2°C in body temperature - making them prone to catching one of the big killer diseases, pneumonia. In contrast, it takes just one hour for an average knitter to make a small bonnet and save a baby's life. Over 1 million babies don't survive beyond their first day of life - the charity is keen for more hats to be knitted.

95 sacks bursting with life-saving hats have been delivered to Save the Children over the past 12 days. Many of the hats were knitted by Paul O'Grady fans. Paul O'Grady will be talking more about his involvement with Save the Children's campaign on this Friday's show (11 April).

To build the pressure on politicians, campaigning knitters are asked to fill in an action card which Save the Children will send to Gordon Brown asking him to prioritise saving children's lives. There are also thousands of messages to Gordon Brown from caring knitters:

"I don't have much money but I can knit so I made a hat. Just think what you could do to help." Susan from Derbyshire.

"Every little baby born, no matter what nationality, deserves to be warm." Barbara from Berkshire.

''Paul O'Grady's show on Channel 4 really brought it home to me how bad the conditions out in Africa really are. I have knitted 16 hats. I feel I have really helped someone.'' Margaret from Lincoln

"I feel too many children all over the world don't get a chance to live their lives into old age. And all because they need the basics that we all take for granted." Edna from Argyll.

"If I, on my very limited budget, can save a life for pennies, how many more lives can you and the Government save? So come on Gordon, how about it? Stick your hand in your pocket and let's stop this carnage." Christina from Leeds.

Paul O'Grady said: "Thank you everyone who has got stuck in and has knitted a hat. When I was out in South Africa with Save the Children I saw hundreds of children who's lives desperately needed saving - so let's do it - let's knit even more hats - I'm talking fifty/a hundred/a hundred and fifty thousand - the sky's the limit! If something as simple as a knitted hat can help to save a child's life then we should all get knitting! It's as simple as it's name - knit one, save one!"

Leora Hanser, Head of Campaigns and Advocacy at Save the Children said, "The 20,000 hats received so far is a fantastic start to this campaign but we still need many, many more hats. We hope that everyone who knits a hat - which Save the Children promises to deliver to a vulnerable baby - will also fill in an action card telling Gordon Brown why you knitted this hat. With your hats and your help we can push the government to stick to the promise he and other world leaders made to cut child mortality by two thirds by 2015."

The charity wants to get 10 million people taking action for the 10 million children still dying before the age of five by 2010. A knit-kit can be found on their website  - www.savethechildren.org.uk/knitting - giving clear instructions to supporters like Paul who have never knitted before and information on where to send their life-saving hats.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

For more information on knitting please visit www.savethechildren.org.uk/knitting or for a fact sheet on the interactive website in a slum in Kroo Bay, Sierra Leone, or details of Save the Children biggest ever global campaign please call Save the Children's media unit on 020 7012 6841 or 07831 650 409 (out of hours). You can email on media@savethechildren.org.uk

Save the Children is the world's independent children's charity. We're outraged that millions of children are still denied proper healthcare, food, education and protection. We're working flat out to get every child their rights and we're determined to make further, faster changes. How many? How fast? It's up to you.

Save the Children will be partnering with The Elders on the Every Human Has Rights Campaign which aims to reaffirm and renew commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by encouraging people around the world to make a personal pledge to live by the principles of the Declaration which marks its 60th anniversary in 2008. Visit www.TheElders.org/