BRIGHTER Futures is all set for a cracking Easter as it plays host to hundreds of little knitted chicks.

For those who need an eggcuse to treat themselves to a Cadbury's Egg, the team has an eggceptional offer.

As part of their Easter fundraising drive, the charity has received a consignment of knitted chicks containing Cadbury’s Crème Eggs, and they’re going cheap at £1.50 a donation.

Keen crafters are also encouraged to knit their own chicks and donate them to the radiotherapy appeal.

Last year the scheme managed to raise £5,000 for the appeal, and organisers are hoping for a similarly successful haul this year.

And for those stuck for creative ideas, the team will even send out a special pattern for those who want to knit their own Easter chicks.

Chloe Thomas, community and events fundraiser at Brighter Futures, said: “We got the idea last year when we were approached by a group of knitters who had done some stunning little chicks to go with cream eggs.

“We thought it was a great idea and it has worked really well. People can buy ready-made ones if their knitting skills aren’t quite up to it, or they can create them from scratch.

“They are only a little bit bigger than the cream eggs themselves and people use them for proper eggs afterwards.

“We see a lot of different colours and themes, the brighter the better. We had Swindon Town FC themed ones last year. It’s nice to see a wide variety and seeing what ideas people come up with.

“It’s incredible to think that such a simple idea would raise so much money.”

The team have already taken delivery of around 200 chicks and eggs after a Facebook plea for people to crack out their favourite knitting needles.

“We receive 20 or 30 donations of knitted chicks each day, which is fantastic,” said Chloe. “I think we could get over 1,000 by the end of the month.”

So far £1,424,725 has been raised for Brighter Futures. The team is very grateful for every single donation and wish to thank everyone for their support. To donate you can send cut out and send in the attached form or log on to www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk. You can also see a full calendar of fundraising events for 2017 on the charity’s website.