Fountains and Nidderdale Brownies and Guides make and donate 100 care kits to support vulnerable people

Young volunteers have been putting their sewing skills and generosity to good use to support people facing some of life's toughest moments across the Harrogate district.

Young members of Fountains and Nidderdale Brownies and Guides have shown how small acts of kindness can make a big difference after creating and donating 100 care kits for vulnerable people across the region.

The girls, aged between seven and 14, spent the summer term taking part in the Care Kit Initiative – a project designed to provide comfort and practical support to people and families who have had to leave their homes at short notice, often during times of crisis.

As part of the initiative, the Brownies and Guides learned how to hand-sew their own fabric drawstring bags from scratch with support from Kerry at Thread Nidd.

The handmade bags were then filled with essential toiletries, puzzle books and toys donated by families, friends and local skincare company H2k Botanicals.

To add a personal touch, every care kit also included a handwritten message of hope from the girls, reminding recipients that they are not alone and that their local community is thinking of them.

The completed care kits have now been donated to Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity and Harrogate Homeless Project, helping to support people facing difficult circumstances.

Thanks to the generosity of those who donated supplies, enough additional items have also been collected to enable a second round of care kits to be prepared later this year for domestic abuse charity IDAS.

The project has particular significance for Fountains and Nidderdale Guide leader Rowan Hunt, who said her own experiences had inspired the initiative.

She said: "Having donated items to a similar project with Guiding when living in the Midlands, when the opportunity to do the same here arose, I knew we had to do it.

"Many of our leaders have their own experiences with homelessness and fraught hospital visits, and we know the emotional and practical impact a simple bag of essentials can have.

"It sends a message that you are not alone and your community cares for you.

"I wanted to show the girls that no matter how young they are, they have the power to step up and make a real difference to people's lives, even through the smallest of gestures."

The Care Kit Initiative is just one of a number of community projects undertaken by the Fountains and Nidderdale units during the summer term.

Alongside making the care kits, the girls have also been out litter picking, taking part in balsam bashing sessions to help tackle invasive Himalayan balsam, and volunteering at a range of local community events.