A GIRL from Prestatyn has made blankets out of crisp packets to help keep homeless people in North Wales warm this winter.
Alyssa Dean, 11, donated 40 of the survival blankets, each comprised of 44 crisp packets, to Denbighshire County Council’s office at Russell House in Rhyl on Thursday, December 1.
From there, they will be distributed to people in Denbighshire, Flintshire and Conwy, along with the care packages, which included items such as a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hat, gloves and chocolate.
The idea of a crisp packet blanket stemmed from ‘The Crisp Packet Project’, which began in England in 2019 and has since seen a sub-group in Prestatyn and Rhyl set up.
Alyssa’s mother, Darlene, has helped her create the blankets, saying: “We used to collect crisp packets and send them to recycling, but we were inspired by the crisp packet blankets, so we decided we had to do it as well.
“At the moment, we’ve made about 45 (blankets), and delivered 40 on Thursday. We’re trying to do more; I’ve got a collection from my work, and some people have said on Facebook that they would send us some, as well.”
Having already raised thousands through taking part in various pageants, this is the latest in a series of charitable projects that Alyssa, who is International Junior Miss North Wales Pre-Teen 2021, has been a part of.
Alyssa, who was also chosen as Prestatyn Carnival Queen in 2020, makes the survival blankets by cleaning the crisp packets before ironing them to make them stick together.
Darlene added that the crisp packet project chimes with two of Alyssa’s biggest motivations, saying: “She’s passionate about the environment, and about helping the homeless.
“We already raised more than £8,000 for charity when she started doing pageants and all sorts, like lots of litter picks, and helping with the Poppy Appeal.
“But this one is bigger because cleaning every single crisp packet and cutting and ironing them is hard work. Doing one blanket will take about an hour!”
Alyssa has her own Facebook page, including a video tutorial on how to make the crisp packet blankets, at: www.facebook.com/International-Junior-Miss-Miss-North-Wales-Pre-Teen-202122-Alyssa-112979341168234.
For more on the Crisp Packet Project Prestatyn & Rhyl, visit: www.facebook.com/CPPPrestatynandRhyl.
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