Andy Sproston works full time as a carer, but when he isn’t looking after others he is knitting hats for members of the LGBT+ community who are homeless.
Since starting the thoughtful act five years ago, the 57-year-old has made over 2,000 hats to help those who are more vulnerable stay warm. Andy moved to Liverpool over a decade ago to be with his wife, Andrea and his stepson. Originally from Derbyshire, he wanted to continue to help the homeless community, something he was known for doing back in his home town.
Now living in Norris Green, Andy tries to fit in knitting one hat a day around his work schedule. He told the ECHO: “I have friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and have always supported rights for those who feel marginalised in today's society. So, it makes me feel humble that we can bring a smile to someone’s face by just giving them one hat.
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“I used to drop them off at the Whitechapel Centre or my wife and I went round town giving them out to the homeless on the streets. But being a keen supporter of LGBTQ+ community, my wife found someone on Facebook who was posting that he went delivering hampers and hats to the homeless and disadvantaged in the area. She spoke with him and we now drop off a sack of hats every few months for him to give out to those he meets.”
The couple have been working alongside Everton’s LGBTQ+ supporters group, Rainbow Toffees. Paul Hession, the events manager of the group for eight years, explained they try their best to help out when they can and so it only made sense for them to team up with Andy when the idea was proposed.
The 44-year-old told the ECHO: “We used to collect clothing for the homeless and would often have a pop up kitchen at the bombed out church. But, I have been helping handing out the hands for a good few months now. It makes you feel so happy and gives you a sense of purpose when you are helping people less fortunate. Anyone could quite easily be in their shoes and I’d hope I received the same kindness from people if I was. I love seeing how happy a hat makes them. It’s only a small gesture but it means the world to them.
“I remember one particular incident where the guy asked me to come and meet his other homeless friends around town to give them a hat too. It was a cold day that day and seeing them be so appreciative, made it all worth it. When the guy I gave the hat to introduced me to his friends around town I recognised a few of them from when I worked in a hostel as a manager. We spent some time chatting and it’s fair to say I’ve made some new friends handing these hats out.”
Despite heading into the warmer weather for the summer period, Andy continues to knit all year round so he has a stock of hats at the ready for the colder weather. However, he hopes he doesn’t always have to knit for the homeless as he believes more should be done to protect the community moving forward.
Andy said it costs him nothing but effort and time for creating hats as he often asks for donations of wool from people at his church or through social media. Recently, he has been requesting blue and yellow colours to show solidarity with those in Ukraine. You can donate wool to Andy via the Rainbow Toffees on Twitter.
