At the assembly held on June 20, Jeppe High School for Girls received a R220 000 cheque for their incredible effort in the 67 blankets for Nelson Mandela Day.
The handover was from a former Jeppe Girl pupil, Mrs Carolyn Steyn.
“For the second time in a row Jeppe Girls won the competition and their blankets contributed to the 67 Blankets organisation getting a Guinness World record for the largest blanket in April this year,” said Mrs Steyn.
The school made 687 blankets for 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day competition run by Saporotex International.
The project is a call-out to schools around the country to knit and crotchet blankets.
“The girls started to knit and crotchet blankets in February this year and our deadline was April 12, in time for the Guinness World Record. They knitted at home during their own time. We approached Absa to sponsor us with wool and they subsidised us,” said Jeppe Girls head mistress Ms Dina Goncalves.
“We used 10 300 balls of wool to knit and crotchet 687 blankets,” said Ms Goncalves.
In 2015, a vibrant whirligig of colours graced the grounds leading up to the Union Building in Pretoria when the 67 Blankets initiative broke a world record with its 3 377 square metre crocheted blanket, which was created by KnitWits for Madiba – an endearing name given to all the dedicated people who crocheted and knitted squares for this remarkable project.
The project has since grown into an international movement with KnitWits for Madiba gathering from all corners of the world to knit, crochet or sew squares and ultimately create blankets to keep people warm in winter.
“It is about knitting in the name of Nelson Mandela. ‘Knitting broken lives together’ is the rallying call,” says Mrs Steyn.
Jeppe High School for Girls will visit old age homes in the area to hand over the blankets.
“The school will continue to produce handiwork that can be donated to the needy in the community,” said Ms Goncalves.
