Charity of the Month: Sparks

Bergere de France release charity ebook Little Purls

Did you know that one in 30 babies are not born healthy? Or that more than 3,500 babies a year will die before their first birthday in the UK? These are shocking statistics, and this August, the Let’s Knit Charity of the Month is Sparks, a UK children’s charity which funds medical research into conditions such as premature birth, cerebral palsy, pre-eclampsia and childhood cancers.

To continue funding this life-saving research, this summer Sparks teamed up with French spinners Bergere de France to release an adorable charity ebook containing a collection of eight baby patterns. Each uses Bergere de France Caline, a beautifully soft baby yarn, to make sweet and stylish baby patterns.

They are all available in sizes for premature, 0, 1, and 3 month-old babies. The book includes patterns for hats, bootees and tops, as well as a gorgeous outfit called “Amour”.

The specially-created patterns in the Little Purls collection have been designed by Katya Frankel, Kyoko Nakayoshi, Kirstie MacLeod and Amanda Jones.

Diamond Pixie Hat

Helen Farquharson, Sparks’ Regional Fundraiser in the South East, said: “We are thrilled that Bergère de France is supporting Sparks. Every parent wants their baby to arrive in the world healthy, yet sadly it doesn’t always happen that way.

“The money and awareness raised from the ‘Little Purls’ campaign will mean we can fund more life-saving research to help more babies be born healthy and stay healthy and help prevent the illness no parent expects. We know how generous knitters are so we hope they will find it in their hearts to support this amazing charity and the vital research they fund.”

Sofia Rivière, Bergere de France’s Marketing Director, said: “Our yarns are very popular for children’s wear and Caline has such a fantastic colour palette. In France we have a long standing relationship with a premature baby charity and we wanted to forge the same links in the UK. Sparks is a tremendous charity and we are proud to work with them.”

To receive the booklet, email info@sparks.org.uk. There is a suggested donation of £5 for a copy. To find out more about getting involved, go to the Sparks website