Local charity Age UK B&NES has teamed up with Bath-based knitting emporium Wool to offer free mini bobble hat workshops, ahead of the annual innocent Big Knit campaign.

Janet Dabbs, Age UK B&NES CEO, and Laura Shipley, Owner and Director of the Wool shop
Each winter, Age UK B&NES sends thousands of little hats to innocent, and they put those little hats on their smoothie bottles.
For each hat, innocent donates 25p to Age UK B&NES, enabling them to continue supporting older people in the community.
Age UK B&NES has pledged to send 6,000 hats this year, which is worth £1,500, and they need your help.
Laura Shipley, owner/director of Wool on Old Orchard Street, is running regular bobble hat workshops to help the charity reach their target.
She said: “We’re running sessions on the first and third Saturday of the month, 11am-12pm from now until the end of June and everyone is welcome.
“If you can’t knit, don’t worry, I’ll teach you – everyone will get the attention they deserve. Knitting the hats feels like something we can easily do.
“People are always looking for ways to be good, kind and helpful, so I’m sure we’ll hit our target.”
The shop will not only provide needles and yarn if needed, but they will even lay on tea and cake.
“There’s no need to be bored or lonely at the weekend, just pop in!”
There are lots of different hat patterns to whet a knitter’s woolly appetite. From basic pom-pom hats, to dinosaurs and unicorns, you can find the patterns at www.ageukbanes.co.uk.
Janet Dabbs, Age UK B&NES CEO said: “It’s great that Laura has offered this wonderful opportunity not only to help people learn to knit, but also to raise money for older people in our community.
“Especially with an activity that brings people together which is central to our work in tackling loneliness in later life.”
Completed hats can be posted to 18 Kingsmead Square, Bath, BA1 2AE or delivered in person Monday-Friday 9.30am-3.30pm.