Bridport knitters stitch up a storm for Julia’s House
Meet the amazing group of knitters who have raised over £100,000 for a children’s hospice charity by selling their handmade goods
Dedicated and passionate members of the Julia’s House Friends Group in Bridport are celebrating raising more than £100,000 for the Dorset and Wiltshire children’s hospice charity over the last seventeen years.
Led by husband and wife team, Chris and Judy Munden, the group runs a popular twice-weekly stall at Bridport United Church, selling hand knitted goods, second hand clothes and jewellery. Regular ‘Knit and Natter’ session organised by Judy sees knitters from around the south of England, including Judy’s brother Richard Burnham, coming together to create a supply of items to be sold from the stall.
“We first got to know Julia’s House when Judy visited the Dorset hospice with her Inner Wheel club. It was a case of ‘Once bitten, forever smitten!’ It never ceases to amaze me how somewhere with the word hospice in the title can be a place of such happiness, such love and such hope. Julias House is so much more than a hospice!
“Soon after Judy’s visit I held an annual dinner for the organisation I was President of, and we raised £1,000, which was the first cheque we ever took to Julia’s House.”
The Friends Group fundraises at local events throughout the year, including fetes and country fairs, youth football tournaments, horse shows and golf clubs. A Black and White Ball organised by the group raised an incredible £3,000 and this year’s annual Christmas Fair held by Highlands End Holiday Park raised £2,500 from ticket sales and stall costs.
“We have been very successful in obtaining sponsorship for events, which means we are able to make more profit for Julia’s House,” explains Chris. “Bridport United Church is also very good to us, letting us have our stall. We’re there most Saturdays, weather permitting, from around 10am until 1pm. We’ve had some wonderful people in the group over the years. Judy's late sister, Pat Neilson, was a strong supporter of ours, and more recently one of our neighbours, Jenny Childs, has joined us and been fantastic. It’s a real team effort.”
A highlight for the couple was a three-day music festival held at Upton House in 2019, where soprano Katherine Jenkins was singing to raise funds for Julia’s House.
Chris recalls, “Volunteers were needed to man a stall at the event for the charity. Being utter fans we put ourselves forward. We sold programmes and got to watch the rehearsal and performance. It was also a huge honour to meet Julia’s House Young Ambassador, Ebony Robinson, who was cared for by the charity until her eighteenth birthday. Ebony has a rare neurological condition that affects her movement and speech, and was virtually carried out onto the stage to present a bouquet to Katherine. There were no dry eyes that night!”
Julia’s House has five Friends Groups across Dorset who organise fundraising events in support of the its work with seriously ill children and their families.
The charity receives just eight per cent funding from the government. It’s vital lifeline of care is only possible thanks to the goodwill of the local community, through donations, fundraising, charity shop sales and gifts in Wills.
If you would like to support the Bridport Friends Group you can visit the stall at Bridport United Church or volunteer some time to help with fundraising. Contact chrismunden49@gmail.com for more information.