A RICHMOND woman has joined a group of “craftivists” who are using knitting and crochet to make political statements and support charities.

George Haddick, 39, crafted a hand-stitched jigsaw puzzle piece as part of large scale art installation “I’m a Piece” for Save The Children, with all pieces containing individual messages about why tackling hunger and malnutrition is so important.

Mrs Haddick said: “I gave William Hague MP one of my jigsaw pieces and he was really impressed with our appeal to politicians to continue to pledge 0.7 per cent of the gross national income on development aid this year.

“It is important that we continue to give even though we are in recession because we are still better off than many people around the world who do not have simple things like fresh drinking water and access to vaccinations.

“Stitching the jigsaw pieces was a way of supporting Save the Children’s Race Against Hunger Campaign, and a way for the craft community to show the Government that world hunger is a subject close to their hearts and that they want to live in a world where everyone has enough food.”

Mr Hague: “I applaud the goals of the campaign and you will be aware that the Prime Minister has announced that he will be holding a hunger summit in 2013.

“This follows on from the summit he held on the last day of the Olympics and demonstrates this Government’s commitment to tackling global malnutrition.”

Now Mrs Haddick is taking on a new challenge to be part of a nationwide group knitting a seven-mile scarf as part of a Wool Against Weapons campaign.

It will then be used to create a “yarn bomb” between the Women’s Peace Camp and the Nuclear Weapons Establishment site in Berkshire next year, and later it will be cut up and given out as blankets for the homeless.

Mrs Haddick is also running her own knitting and crochet group, based at the Wetherspoons pub in Richmond on Mondays from 1pm until 3pm. Entry is 50p.