A FAMILY-RUN knitting business is celebrating its birthday with a special raffle to support young people with neurodisabilities.

The Dropped Stitch in Victoria Road, Portslade, is marking its 36th birthday this month with a fundraiser for the Lewes-based Chailey Heritage Foundation.

All proceeds from the raffle, which features over £900 of prizes from donations from wholesalers and customers, will be donated to the charity - which provides education and care services with children and young people with complex neurodisabilities, such as severe cerebral palsy and sensory impairments.

Anthony Bath, assistant manager at the store and son of the owners Hilary and Peter, aims to raise £1,000 for the charity.

He said that plans to celebrate its 35th birthday had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

Anthony said: “The last 18 months have probably been our toughest. If we had attempted to do this last year, with all the restrictions in place, we don’t feel it would have been viable.”

“Our customers have been so great to us, some having used our shop for the entire 35 years and coming back as soon as we reopened our doors.”

The store is also offering discounts on its yarns and accessories for the festivities.

The draw for the raffle is this Thursday, with tickets available in store.

Founded in 1903, the Chailey Heritage Foundation aims to maximise the independence and choice of the patients they work with, providing them with support and opportunities to pursue their fullest potential.

The charity was formed by Grace Kimmins, who was passionate about helping disabled children, and took over a derelict parish workhouse in East Sussex and converted it into a ‘place in the country’ for seven disabled children from east London.

Over the last century, they have also offered support those with a range of conditions, including tuberculosis, rickets, polio and those impacted by the drug Thalidomide.

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