From Cubs To Bears

On Tuesday 20th January Kate was kindly invited to speak about our #bearinablanket project to the Selkirk Cubs Group.

It was a great evening where Kate spoke to the Cubs about her travels in Egypt, the places she had visited and the people she had met and ultimately what had inspired her to start up the #bearinablanket project. 
The #bearinablanket project's goal is to try and bring a bit of happiness and hope to impoverished families living in Egypt, as well as comfort to the children who often don't have a single toy of their own. Kate had visited several families in a rural village, and whilst she had been warmly welcomed she had been shocked by the living conditions.
Kate decided to try and knit blankets and matching jumpers which she would put on teddy bears to give to the children the next time she was out - the idea being that each child would receive a warm, cosy blanket with a corresponding teddy bear. She bought up the teddy bears at charity shops and in carboot sales and started to knit jumpers and squares in bright, vibrant colours, before crocheting them with black wool to make the colours stand out even further. 
When she explained to her friends what she was trying to do, a lot of them who also enjoyed knitting decided to come on board with the project and start knitting too - and so the #bearinablanket project was born! Kate decided to use the platform of her business, The Border Studio to ask if anyone wanted to help and since then support has been terrific with bears, squares, balls of wool and completed blankets arriving from theatre groups all across the UK - we've even received pictures of groups knitting together in rehearsal and the story has been featured in the press across the UK in various newspapers and magazines.

When talking to the Cubs, Kate was very impressed by their attentiveness and enthusiasm in learning about the project, and they were visibly touched by the pictures that Kate showed them of the families and children in Egypt. After the talk one of the boys even came up to Kate offering to donate a pair of brand new shoes that didn't fit him very well. 
As part of the talk Kate had put together an Egyptian themed game where the boys had to decode a secret message using Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs - she was amazed by how quickly the boys all cracked the code - uncovering where she had hidden a 'buried treasure' under the bears and blankets! The boys were all delighted to discover the 'treasure' was in fact a box of chocolates for them all, and the first group to guess the correct order also received an extra treat each. 

Kate really enjoyed her evening talking to the Cubs and left feeling very impressed by the whole group. They were incredibly welcoming and asked some really interesting questions about what she had seen in Egypt. Let's hope a few boys are encouraged to pick up some knitting needles and have a go at knitting some squares themselves!

If you would like to get involved with our #bearinablanket project then click this link to download a PDF file with more information, as well as some instructions to help get you started. You can also email bearinablanket@gmail.com with any questions or contact us via our Facebook page.
Happy knitting!

We would like to remind our customers that it is definitely not too early to start booking your cloths and pantomimes for next year! Get in touch today so that you don't miss out!

Contact us through our website or by calling us on 01750 20237.

The Border Studio - Design to Inspire

We are a theatrical hire company based in Scotland, and remain one of the UK's most popular scenic suppliers.

With a catalogue of over 100 different shows, the UK's largest collection of hand-painted backcloths and a vast prop store

get in touch today to see how we can help enhance your show.

 Written by Tamsin