Keen needleworkers have set off on a challenge to complete the Cumbria Way – in scarves.

In January, knitters and crochet creators had covered 1.14 miles of the route by completing 1,204 scarves.

The challenge was the idea of Anne Carter Thomson, from Endmoor, near Kendal, who wanted to do something for the homeless.

“It all started with love hearts,” says Anne, 50. “I was donating them for sale in Endmoor shop for charity, then I started Endmoor Craft Group and things grew from there.”

Anne moved to Cumbria from Wigan two years ago with her partner Ian. “We used to come a lot on holiday and it’s always been a dream to live here. I love it and really feel part of the community already.

“I was homeless in the 1990s because of an abusive relationship and I was in a bad way mentally. Moving here made me realise how cold it can be in the north and with having been homeless myself the idea to make scarves just clicked.”

The Cumbria Way stretches 70 miles linking Ulverston and Carlisle and passing through Coniston and Keswick. The distance equates to 73,491 60-inch long scarves.

“Because it’s such a big amount we’re just going to see how far we can get this year,” says Anne. “We set a goal to cover one mile in January and beat that and more people are joining all the time. We have more than 1,600 crafters following our Cumbria Way Homeless Scarf Challenge on Facebook and lots of people have contacted me. I have a lot of crafting friends but it’s really surprised me how it’s taken off.

“I thought it would just be people in Cumbria but it’s gone as far as Australia and America. People are loving coming together. Some people are knitting or crocheting squares and joining them up, especially if they’re children or beginners. We’ve got grandchildren knitting with their grannies, Brownies, school children and we’ve got some men too.

“The community we’ve got is wonderful. I love how it’s brought everyone together to do something useful, especially in lockdown.”

Knitters and crocheters can find more information and patterns on the Facebook page. They are asked to send in the details of how many scarves they have made so Anne can keep a total, then encouraged to deliver their scarves to homeless projects and shelters in their local area.

Facebook: @thecumbriawayhomelesscarfchallenge2021