Appeal for Elephant in the Room Sewing Volunteers

We are appealing for volunteers to help to make memory elephants for our Elephant in the Room project.

The Elephant in the Room project was started by a lady called Lorna, who following the loss of her husband, joined a sewing group and took inspiration from this when she found herself not wishing to part with some special pieces of her husband’s clothing. She decided to turn these into a beautiful stuffed elephant and found it such a comfort that she wanted to share her idea with others.

Dying and death is often a topic that people avoid talking about, in making such a beautiful elephant the aim is to lift the silence and enable people to talk about this topic. The project has been shared with hospices across the UK and we feel privileged to be able to offer this to families and the local community.

A supporter who recently had an elephant made told us “I’ve had my grandad’s shirt in a storage box for quite some time now. I knew I couldn’t part with it because it was the last real ‘thing’ I had left of him. To be able to use this, along with some of my grandma’s clothing too following her passing, and then turn them into something so lovely, that I can hold whenever I want to, means so much to me.”

Due to high demand for orders, we need willing volunteers to help make these elephants. All materials and templates will be provided, we just ask that volunteers use their own sewing machine, have experience of sewing and feel confident with using a loved-ones special clothing.

By volunteering for Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity you will be helping to make a valuable contribution to your local community, and to the vital work of the hospice. You will also have the opportunity to use and develop your own skills in a supportive environment.

We are also keen to hear from local sewing or craft groups who may like to support us to make these during group sessions, please get in touch if you could help.

Find out more about volunteering for this project by clicking here