August 25, 2021 10.14 am This story is over 31 months old

Ruskington woman lifting village spirits with crocheted “worry worms” and kind notes

Making Ruskington a close-knit community
Louise Barratt has been lifting Ruskington's spirits with her crocheted "worry worms" that have positive messages attached to them. | Photo: Louise Barratt
By Local Democracy Reporter

A woman from Ruskington has taken random acts of kindness to the next level with her lockdown hobby, crocheting hundreds of cute animals and leaving them around the village to spread joy in her community.

Louise Barratt was looking for a productive hobby to take up when the coronavirus lockdown hit, and she found crocheting.

She started with a “COVID cover” which was a granny square big enough to cover a king-size bed, but the motive changed when she was inspired to do a crochet challenge that incorporated random acts of kindness.

So, for 40 days, Louise decided to crochet little worms every day, attaching a note to them and leaving them around Ruskington in the hope of putting a smile on the face of whoever sees it.

The worry worms (and even the odd octopus) have been going up around Ruskington in recent months. | Photo: Louise Barratt

The enjoyment took over and the response was hugely positive, so Louise carried on crocheting the worms for the summer school holidays as well.

So far she has placed more than 370 of these “worry worms” around the village, and her influence is encouraging other people to get into crocheting too.

A lovely pick me up for the people of Ruskington who walk through the village. | Photo: Louise Barratt

Louise told The Lincolnite: “After incorporating my daily walk and worm spreading during the last lockdown, it became clear that my actions were creating a buzz in the community and helping people of all ages through a difficult time.

“As a self employed person, I know first hand the financial implications put upon people during these times.

“So I decided to continue my worming mission to also supply a source of free entertainment during the school holidays for the families of Ruskington.”

Plenty of residents have found the worry worms so far and been full of praise for the random act of kindness. | Photo: Louise Barratt

She hopes to keep the crocheting going and plans to make items related to Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance in the near future, for a fundraising effort.

“I have suffered with anxiety myself so making these worms (and the occasional octopus) helped me keep my own mental health in check.

“I hope they will continue to inspire people in other villages as well to spread kindness. Community spirit is paramount in the new normal we’re adapting to.”