Plymouth Methodist Central Hall (PMCH) is urging people with a passion for knitting to infuse the city with the spirit of Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The initiative, aptly named "Christmas Angel Project," involves distributing knitted angels throughout the city to share the love of God and invite the community to join in the celebrations.
Gareth Higgs, Superintendent Minister, at Plymouth Methodist Central Hall said:
"We are really excited this year to offer a sign of blessing through our knitted angels. We want them to be a sign of hope and joy to those who see them or may receive them and we trust that it may bring a smile to someone's face, as well as give them a reason to consider some of the elements of the Christmas story as the Bible tells it. It is wonderful already to see so many people getting on board and we’d love the number of people we could encourage to multiply further."
The creative force behind this project is PMCH's Warm-hearted Knit & Natter group, which meets every Wednesday, the group has already knitted 50 of the angels.
Gill Rolfe from Knit and Natter said:
"We were inspired by a Christmas Angels knitting project that started in 2015, where over 20,000 angels were knitted across the UK to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and share the joy and love of God Christmas. This year we are aiming to give out 1000 angels to the people of Plymouth."
The aim is to have all the angels ready to spread their wings throughout the city by mid December. The angels will be given out in many locations across Plymouth including the Foodbank Hub in Stonehouse, on the soup run, women's projects, and the city centre.
To make the project even more accessible, a downloadable pattern is available for those who want to knit angels independently.
The church says anyone with a passion for knitting is warmly invited to join in and if necessary materials can be provided.
It's also hoping people share their sightings of the angels on social media tagging PMCH on Facebook (@Plymouth Methodist Central Hall) or Instagram (@pmch.church).
More information can be found at https://pmch.org.uk/christmasangels