Knit-ivity gifts spread message of Christmas

Reporter: Rosalyn Roden
Date published: 21 December 2016


CHURCH members have hand-knitted more than 500 angels to share the message of Christmas across Oldham.

The congregation of Gravelhole Methodist Church will be spreading Christmas cheer as they deliver their home-made decorations to residents.

Hundreds of the festive pieces were used to deck out the worship place for a special service to launch the Christmas Angel Project.

Church steward Janet Abbott said: "People have been busy knitting the angels.

"I'm not a great knitter but I had a go myself.

"They are only small tokens, the size of your hand, suitable to hang on a Christmas tree.

"Each of them varies slightly because they're made of different types of wool and everyone's style is different.

"We decorated the church so they appeared in the windows, on the pews and around the altar rail."

Admired

Around 50 residents pooled together to make the dainty creations, including craft groups run by the church and friends and family of church members.

The displays were admired by school pupils on Monday, December 12, as well as visitors to the Gravelhole Christmas fair on Saturday, December 10.

A special service was also held on Friday, December 9 when angel-related hymns were sung, poems read and sketches put on for the congregation.

Individually made angels were then hung on trees, door handles, bushes and lamp posts for residents to take home.

Each gift had a simple message attached such as 'Love', 'Hope' and 'Light of the World'.

Janet, the brains behind the initiative, said: "I spotted a similar idea in a magazine earlier in the year and thought it would be a lovely thing to do here in Oldham.

"The same thing was done in North Shields in 2014 so we knew we could replicate it."

Safety-concious knitters had also gone to every effort to ensure their creations were "as safe as possible" in case they were picked up by a child.

With the aim of spreading the festive cheer this Christmas season, Janet added: "The angels were free for people to take.

"We wanted to send a message out of God's love and blessing.

"I think it's important that gifts like this are given freely especially with Christmas being so commercialised.

"If just one person picked up an angel and felt better on receiving the small gift, it will all have been worth it."