Knit, chat and drink coffee at Falkirk fundraiser for Mamie Martin Fund

A knitathon will take place on Saturday, May 10 from 11am to 3pm in Trinity Church hall in the heart of Falkirk.

All money raised on the day will got to the Mamie Martin Fund which supports girls in secondary schools in Malawi.

Throughout the day the “blanket buddies” will be knitting and crocheting , enjoying coffee and chat, listening to some singing from Freedom of Mind Community Choir.

Mariot Dallas, who is a granddaughter of Mamie Martin, said: “One of the blanket buddies has met the sheep her yarn came from, then she spun the yarn on her spinning wheel before making her blanket, which we will be auctioning off to raise funds.

"Back in the 1920s, Mamie was one of four daughters of the minister at Tarbet, Loch Lomond. In her diaries she often described knitting for church sales of work. She’d be happy to know we are helping girls education through our crafting today.”

The Mamie Martin Fund was founded in 1993 by Mariot’s parents, Margaret and John Sinclair, in memory of her mother, Mamie, a teacher who worked to empower women through

education in the African country in the 1920s.

Brought up in Tarbet in Argyll and Bute, Mamie set off for Malawi with husband Jack in 1921 to start a new life.

She gave birth to daughter Margaret six years later, however, sadly died in childbirth in 1928 while pregnant with a baby boy.

Margaret returned to Scotland as an adult, but a trip back to Malawi with her husband, as well as a discussion with friends who lived there, sparked her desire to launch the fund.

The charity is now managed by a board of trustees in Scotland who are responsible for the governance and strategy of the volunteer-led organisation.

The Mamie Martin Fund helps girls in secondary education in Malawi through a partnership with the Synod of Livingstonia.

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