The Santa’s Socks initiative is a community arts project organised by the council’s York Learning team, encouraging groups and individuals to make stockings which, once filled, will be donated to local families and children. Residents are invited to sew, knit, crochet, felt, quilt or embroider their stockings.

Councillor Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism said: “Last year residents, craft groups, knitting circles and other organisations all set to work and generously produced over 400 amazing Christmas Stockings and we hope that even more will be created this year. They were greatly appreciated and we hope that residents will again have fun supporting the initiative for a very worthwhile cause.”

Each stocking should measure approximately 40cm long and 25cm wide. The shape may be inspired by classic stockings, Victorian or elf boots or any other Christmassy stocking shape. Templates are available online.

All socks should be completed by Wednesday 25 November and when finished contact santassocks@york.gov.uk or Claire Douglas, York Learning on 07990 774420. Photos of completed socks or work in progress will be shared on York Learning’s facebook and twitter sites to inspire others. Finished Santa Socks can be handed in to City of York Council, West Offices or any library.

Santa’s Socks is one of many York Learning community arts projects, which this year has included the mass portrait project, Face of York, a mosaic arts project at Acomb Explore and a family learning project discovering more about the past and present at Lidgett Grove Methodist Church.