Newsletter 7 June 7 2012
Gifts of Cushions and Woolsack in the media
I'm going to start with an urgent plea - when you read on down this newsletter you'll realise that we need to know NOW the number and location of every finished cushion. Please can you contact Alison with this information using the Census and Distribution option on the website contact page.
Even if you were good enough to complete the last census could you please send your updated number to Alison.
Those of you who follow Woolsack on Twitter, the Facebook group or Ravelry will already be aware of the exciting developments of the last few days.
Athletes are now starting to receive their cushions and the media have 'discovered' Woolsack.
We have two new pages on the website.
http://www.woolsack.org/athletes
http://www.woolsack.org/giftscushions
The first gives athletes information about how to contact us to receive cushions and the second has news and photographs of athletes with their Woolsack cushions.
Very briefly, all the Olympic and Paralympic sailors in Weymouth and Portland this week at Skandia Sail for Gold have the opportunity to collect the special red bags of cushions for each team †all carefully labelled and containing the right number of cushions.
This has been a huge effort by Sue and with fantastic help and support from a small team at the event.
Today Nic & Barbara took a selection of cushions to the Team GB women's water polo team at their training venue and the north east team of Alison, Nicky and myself handed over cushions for Team GB Archery
On Monday Irene and Julie are visiting the Team GB Women's Wheelchair Basketball team with cushions for them.
On the very day the Team GB rowing squad was announced they contacted us about receiving cushions and a number of other teams and squads are lined up with initial contacts having been made.
The Weymouth and Portland cushions are for sailors from every team competing in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The GB teams that are receiving cushions are keen to help get cushions to international Olympians and Paralympians in their sport.
The Media
After the Sunday Telegraph and Private Eye articles linked from www.woolsack.org/news 16 May word started spreading. Private Eye did a follow up article which stressed that we are getting cushions to athletes and need all the cushions we can get.
This week the BBC Radio 4 PM programme took up the story and last night did a great piece which can be heard on their website. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18343074
They then followed this up tonight with an interview with one of the Team GB rowers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jhjs1 which starts 23 minutes into the programme.
There is also a reporter working on an article for the national press and two of us will be appearing on BBC Breakfast Show this Saturday morning, 9 June, complete with some of your wonderful cushions.
What this 'list' doesn't show is the fantastic support for Woolsack and your cushions from so many people, including athletes. Social media, particularly twitter, has given people the opportunity to let us know what they think about the project and the wonderful gifts you have made and are still making for Olympic and Paralympic Athletes. Well done and thank you and please keep making!