Clutha Cover Up ready to go

Craftswomen (from left) Adair White, Erin Hamlyn, Sue Bound and Rosalie Scott at Balclutha Presbyterian Church last week packed hundreds of handmade woollies destined for Eastern Europe through Mission Without Borders’ Operation Cover Up.

The initiative creates and collects woollen blankets and garments, toys and toiletry sets from volunteers across New Zealand and the world before shipping them to Amsterdam for distribution in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Operation Cover Up Balclutha has been running for eight years and members meet socially most Saturday afternoons to craft and share patterns and ideas.

"We’re packing everything up to go to Auckland where the whole country’s efforts will go through a wool-press and into couple of big containers," co-organiser Sue Bound said.

Members raise funds through raffles to buy wool in bulk and record every item donated each year to victims of poverty and war in Europe.