THE HANDIWORK of hundreds of nimble-fingered Oxfordshire knitters will help pensioners across the country keep warm this winter.

Each year Oxfordshire Age UK, formerly Age Concern Oxfordshire, enlists the help of people to make miniature woolly hats to sit on top of bottles of smoothies sold at Sainsbury’s.

For each be-hatted bottle the supermarket chain sells, the drinks’ producer, Innocent, and Sainsbury’s pledge 25p to the charity to fund winter warmth projects for older people.

This year the Big Knit brought in a record 11,378 mini-hats in the county.

Among those helping to make the tiny hats were members of Berinsfield Day Centre, in Marsh Baldon, who stitched up 1,000 between them, and residents at Richmond retirement village in Letcombe Regis, near Wantage.

Jamie Gilder, 33, activities co-ordinator at Glebe House care home, in Kidlington, said families and friends of residents had also been eagerly knitting the mini-hats.

Between them, and with help from Ms Gilder’s aunt Nina Gilbrook and grandmother Elsie Holdaway, the team managed to make 866. Ms Gilder said: “It’s been a fantastic effort.”

Last winter there were 150 more older people than avwerage who died in Oxfordshire.

Rachelle Kennedy, who co-ordinated the Big Knit for Age UK Oxfordshire, said in most cases the deaths were avoidable. She added: “The support we have received has been overwhelming.

“We’re so grateful that Oxfordshire residents go above and beyond to help make a difference.”

Age UK will know how much the campaign has raised early next year.