Ey Up Me Little Yellow Duck
Over the next few weeks, more than thirty little ducks will be released in Chesterfield and the surrounding area. But don’t call the RSPCA just yet! The ducks are all knitted or crocheted by the StraightCurves Charity Knitting Group and are part of a worldwide project aiming to raise awareness of the importance of blood and organ donation.
The Little Yellow Duck project was originally launched in 2014 in memory of Clare Cruickshank, who passed away aged just 26 whilst awaiting a double lung transplant. Due to a chronic shortage of organ donors here in the UK, Clare never got her second chance at life, but her friends and family pledged to her that they would try to change the situation so that other families don’t suffer in the same way.
They set about spreading random acts of kindness by making cute yellow ducks and leaving them in public places for strangers to stumble upon. Each duck has a tag with its name on, and finders are asked to take the duck home, record the spot where it was discovered on the project’s interactive map, and most importantly, to consider registering as a blood or organ donor. In just over a year, more than 4,500 ducks have been found in over 75 countries!
The StraightCurves Charity Knitting Group decided to join in with the project having seen first hand what a difference an organ transplant can make to somebody’s life. Studio Manager Roz Vincent explained some of the motivation behind the group’s decision:
“My father-in-law received a kidney transplant in 2008 after several years on the waiting list. The difference it has made, not only to his quality of life, but to our whole family is unbelievable.”
The group will be releasing their ducks in several locations around the local Chesterfield area in the run up to StraightCurves’ next Open Day on 5th September so keep your eyes peeled and if you’re lucky enough to discover one of the little ducks, log onto the project website at www.thelittleyellowduckproject.org and record your find. The World Map on the project website shows the locations of all the ducks that have been found, so you can also see if there was one nearby that you missed!
If you would like more information about StraightCurves or the StraightCurves Charity Knitting Group, call Karen or Roz on 01246 807575, visit the website at www.straightcurves.co.uk or pop in to the studio open day at 104 Saltergate, Chesterfield on Saturday 5th September from 10am until 2.30pm.
