How are our projects and initiatives supporting 'keeping it green'

We started out repurposing bedding into scrubs and masks for the amazing doctors, nurses, medical, care, dental and vetenary staff, who were on the front line during the pandemic. 

With 1000's of scrubs being created and sent out by our initial volunteers, around the UK. Oakley Stitchers enabled our Volunteers to be a part of providing anything we could to help others needing our support, which remains the case. 

This has now grown into the many different items our volunteers still create and send to those who need them.

We are very proud of our green credentials and do everything we can to use, reuse, recycle or repurpose everything we can.

for example....
Oakley stitchers supports and actively encourages repair, reuse and repurpose in everything we can. 

At least 60% of everything we provide to support others is recycled to help ensure that our volunteers are able to reuse what they may already have to keep their hobbies affordable.

We have opened our community shop in 2025 to offer a place for people to bring their unwanted craft, knitting or crafting materials and offer other the opportunity for others to purchase and use items to support their hobbies, mental health and wellbeing. 

We are desperate to find permanent accommodation for this project... just in case dear reader.. you just happen to have somewhere suitable, central to Basingstoke and empty lol.

Our Angel gowns and Tommy pockets reuse wedding dresses preventing landfill further with netting used from dresses repurposed in our aqua knockers and the dress material used to create beautiful forever gowns for babies who are born sleeping or pass shortly after birth.

Our drain bags and pressure relief pillows use repurposed and donated material to help breast cancer, heart and surgical patients around the UK

Twiddle muffs and Blankets are created from a range of tactile yarns donated to us from those needing to reduce their stashes or have od bits left over from projects in the past.

To ensure that our projects are affordable for our volunteers, we provide as much of the donated materials as possible to our projects for our volunteers to use. Where this is not possible they arrive in our community shop for other crafters, knitters, sewers and crocheters to grab a bargain

We support our local repair cafes to enable people to repair and reuse the items they have.

We have our fantastic Mick who services machines for people at a reduced cost to ensure that they are not thrown and local sewers, are able to keep sewing. 

We also have Mick service machines that are no longer wanted and raise funding by selling them in our commuity shop, leaving us able to provide a warranty.

Our community groups are held in 7 locations currently around Basingstoke and Deane to support people to walk or use public transport to reach us and our office and shop are located in the town enabling all to access these easily too.

We are constantly seeking ways to remain committed to support our environment and communities, whilst helping and providing free items to support others around the UK.