Community project to save Australian wildlife

LOCAL craft shop, EJ Crafts on Maristow Street, is calling on the community to help knit/ crochet/ sew pouches and nests to send over to Australia to help animals during the current devastating fires. 

It has been reported that a staggering 1 billion animals are now estimated dead in Australia’s fires. 

A Facebook group in Australia, Animal Rescue Craft Guild which has  over 143,983 members, began the quest for people across the world to craft nests and pouches in order to save animal species. Emma Symonds, owner of EJ Crafts, is calling all knitters/crocheters in Westbury to get involved and help save the wildlife. 

She said, “I heard about the knitting pouches for the animals and thought what an amazing idea. It is heartbreaking the amount of animals that have died due to the bushfires, if we don’t help the world we could lose entire species.

“So I put an appeal out for knitted pouches for Joeys. My friend Stacy then sent me a crochet pattern for a bird’s nest and I wondered if there was anything else. 

“I then found, on a different FB page, sewing and knitting patterns not just for Joeys but for bats, wallabies etc. 

“All of the patterns can be found on the E J Crafts FB page. They also tell you the materials you need. Some of the knitting patterns you need 100% pure wool and the material needs to be 100% cotton. This is so the animals can breathe through the wool/material.

“It does not matter what colour you use, so you can use up all your odds and ends and scraps of material. Even though I do not  sell 100% wool, I am taking donations for wool/material and then distributing it out to anyone that wants to make a pouch.

“Once you have completed what you choose to make, you can drop them off at the shop. A very kind person has got in contact and said once we got a load together, she will send them over. 

“I am so happy this has turned into a community project. Thank you in advance to everyone that is going to help.”