For 12 days leading up to Christmas, we will be highlighting a charity, organisation or community group that has been nominated by members of our community.

Handmade with Love are a group of volunteers, headed by Colleen, who knit, sew and crochet items for sale at Portland and Weymouth craft fayres and online.

Colleen started fundraising for a cancer charity back in 2019, selling items to friends and neighbours. COVID put things on hold but when restrictions were lifted Colleen and her team came back with renewed energy and created, ‘Handmade with Love’.

ALL proceeds raised annually (no expenses taken) are divided between three charities – Weldmar Hospicecare, Dorset County Hospital’s Fortuneswell (Cancer) Ward, and a third charity decided upon by the group.

To date, the charities that have received the final third are The Air Ambulance Service, The Three Ells Trust, Dorset Blind Association, Portland Hedgehogs and WillDoes.

This year the chosen charity is Muscular Dystrophy, as a fitting tribute to one of the groups volunteers who sadly passed away as a result of the condition.

In the seven years that the group have been running, they’ve managed to raise a whopping £26,000 for charity.

We are astounded by this groups generosity and drive to do good, even when they’re dealing with personal hardships themselves.