Handcrafted bespoke cashmere scarves and neck warmers are being made in Fulwood to bring a touch of luxury to fundraising for Rosemere Cancer Foundation!
The items are being created by longstanding supporter Gill Ellard, who raised more than £300 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation in the run up to Christmas by making and selling festive floral baskets for the charity.
During the November lockdown, Gill, who would have usually been busy out rehearsing and performing with the Preston Orpheus Choir, the Preston Cecilian Choral Society and Chorale Amici of which she is a member, decided to use her new found free time to transform some old cashmere sweaters into scarves.
She then gave the scarves as Christmas gifts to her daughter Rose, who works in cancer education and research at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital but worked as a cancer nurse at the Royal Preston Hospital from 2007 to 2010, her two sons, Joe in Amsterdam and Tom in Leeds, and their respective partners Pia and Hannah, husband Kevin and her sister-in-law Kitty, who is a nun in Dublin.
Everyone loved them so much that Gill has now decided to make the most of the current lockdown by crafting more scarves, along with neck warmers, and selling them at £25 each for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.
Gill said: “The thing about cashmere is it’s very light and soft but also warm. I had some cashmere sweaters donated and I have bought others from ebay but if anyone has a sweater that they don’t want for whatever reason, including a washing error, I would gratefully like to receive it.
Gill, who is also a member of the Dotcom Walkers, will collect sweaters left out on the doorstep of homes within a five mile radius of Fulwood. She will also doorstep deliver scarves and neck warmers to addresses in the same area. For anyone wanting a scarf or neck warmer living further afield, there is a £3 postal charge.
Customers can choose their own colour scheme to individualise their scarf or neck warmer. They can also opt to have a small embroidered heart motif, which Gill has been using to finish items, and all come with a hand-stitched label saying “Cashmere for Rosemere”. To order an item or donate cashmere, call Gill, who has previously also organised fundraising quizzes, auctions, raffles and lunchtime socials for Rosemere, on 01772 717505.
Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, the region’s specialist cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and also at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties.
The charity funds cutting edge equipment, research, training and other cancer services and therapies that the NHS is unable to afford. For further
information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk
