Enterprising teenager sells her crafts on Facebook for Farleigh Hospice

The Colchester teen had the idea of knitting the bunnies in the run-up to Easter and began selling them on her Facebook selling page, Sneaky Craft.

Isabel set up the craft page in July 2020 after the first lockdown. Like many of us, she found herself with a lot of time on her hands as her main hobby, dog agility, was unable to continue due to the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic. She entertained herself by crafting and decided to initially make and sell reusable facemasks for local good causes. As well as selling items on behalf of local charities, she also sells some of her bigger pieces as a way of supplementing her pocket money. Isabel has a passion for the environment and tries to make the majority of the items from repurposed materials, like old denim jeans or shirts.

In addition to selling the bunnies via Facebook, Isabel approached her local greengrocers, Stonefield Farm shop, to see if they would display her bunnies on their counter and sell them to customers for £1 each. They were very popular, 89 bunnies were sold, raising £89 for the hospice. Encouraged by this success, Isabel then knitted a whole family of bunnies and raffled them off over the Easter bank holiday weekend at the farm shop and on her Facebook page, raising £66.46.

Of her fundraising efforts, Isabel said: “Thank you to everyone who has supported my crafts throughout the last year. The pandemic has given me a great opportunity to combine learning with craft, whilst raising money for charity. I am grateful to Stonefield Farm Shop for displaying the bunnies and holding the raffle.”

Isabel’s mum, Rachel Patten added: “I am very proud of what Isabel is doing. She is a very dedicated and industrious girl and I think that her idea of making and selling craft items for local charities during all three lockdowns was a great way for her to spend her time. Farleigh is a cause close to our hearts as we have close family friends who have been helped by them.”

Debbie de Boltz, fundraising manager at Farleigh Hospice said: “Isabel’s ‘Bunnies of Hope’ are just wonderful. We are so grateful to her for selling them in aid of Farleigh. Every penny raised will help us to continue to provide care and support for those affected by life-limiting illness and bereavement locally.”

As well as coming up with her own ideas, Isabel takes inspiration from what she sees on the internet. As lockdown restrictions ease, Isabel will continue her crafting in addition to resuming her dog agility activities.

If you’d like to buy any of Isabel’s crafts please visit her Facebook page.

If you would like to fundraise for Farleigh Hospice visit our fundraising page or call 01245 457411.