Have you ever walked into a shop and seen Innocent Smoothies with little hats on them? Yes, they are cute and make the delicious smoothie even more tempting to buy, but why exactly do the smoothie bottles need a hat?
Have you ever walked into a shop and seen Innocent Smoothies with little hats on them? Yes, they are cute and make the delicious smoothie even more tempting to buy, but why exactly do the smoothie bottles need a hat?
In 2003 Innocent Smoothies started putting hats on their bottles as a new initiative to help raise donations for Age UK. For every bottle that has a hat on it, Innocent Smoothie donates 25 pence to the charity. This may not seem like an awful lot on its own, however with the Big Knit’s huge army of knitters last year 1.5million hats were donated, which is a fundraising total of £37,500. Overall in the past 17 years, there has been a fundraising total of over £3 million.
This money goes to help Age UK fund its services which all help to support the elderly. From lunches and photography clubs to simply being there for a friendly phone call, Age UK’s main mission is to help combat loneliness within the older generation.
It is therefore very fitting that Innocent Smoothies are working together with Age UK in an activity that allows people to be both creative and sociable. With a massive Facebook group of 4.4 thousand members, there is the opportunity for people to connect with others they may not have met otherwise to talk about something that they all enjoy.
Whether you are a complete beginner or considered quite the expert, Innocent Smoothies need your help. You can crochet or knit the hats and it can be as simple or as intricate as you want. Whether it’s a simple beanie or a hat shaped like a banana, you have total freedom. The only requirement is that it fits an Innocent Smoothie bottle.
When finished, pop into your local Age UK shop to donate them or post them to Big Knit, Innocent Drinks, 342 Ladbroke Grove, London, W10 5BU. When you are donating them by post, put a note in with them as well, with your name and address (as Age UK and Innocent Smoothies will send you a thank you card), how many hats you’ve knitted and the date. The deadline to submit for the next Big Knit is the 1st of October 2021.
Alternatively, if you have bought an Innocent Smoothie in the past and still have the hat, you can send it to the address, 'Freepost BIG KNIT'. This will both be environmentally friendly and allow the hat to raise another 25 pence.
Radar look forward to seeing all of your hats in the shops in the future. You never know, maybe one of the team will end up buying one!
For more information on the Age UK initiative or if you want to start a new hobby that is both philanthropic and fun go to http://www.thebigknit.co.uk/hats-amazing.