In 1995 I offered to cross stitch a picture for my parents, a picture of their choosing and, having never stitched before, had no idea of what I was letting myself in for. I quickly learnt to stitch from a friend Jan, who is herself a very accomplished stitcher. In 1997 the picture was finished and I was hooked! However, there are only so many things that can be stitched for home use, family and friends. In 2003 when my late husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease the stitching took on a fund-raising turn. I started with a Party for Parkinson’s where I sold cards to anyone who would buy them. Cross Pics was born. A few years later I joined Craft in Action as a guest and intermittently attended their fairs whilst looking after my husband whose condition was deteriorating. In 2014 Jeff died and I found myself stitching even more to fill time. In 2017 I became a member of Craft in Action and attend more fairs to raise funds and awareness of Parkinson’s. When at a craft fair I can always been seen with a needle in hand.