Abi's Ascots

04/06/2023

A huge thank you to everyone involved in DogVille, we had such a lovely time!
Thank you to Auntie Polly for helping us, to everyone that came and bought neckties and to everyone that worked so hard behind the scenes to make it such a lovely day ☀️

04/06/2023

We are here!! Abi is all set to say hello! Bring it on DogVille!!

03/06/2023

After a full day of sorting we are ready for DogVille!!

We have England neckties - we all love a Lioness! We have Pride neckties, summer neckties, we even have Christmas neckties for those of you who like to be Santa ready by mid July…

Abi can’t wait to meet everyone - please come and say hello!

HUGE thank you to Ruth Redgate for lending us the gazebo! ❤️

01/06/2023

Quick update! Just home from the hospital - Abi had an operation last Thursday and just needed her dressings checked today. All good and she is determined to be at DogVille on Sunday!

I don’t suppose anyone has a gazebo / shade we can borrow for the day?! 🥴

06/05/2023

Abi had a wonderful time - her first night at the residential college she will be attending in September. “I felt safe there mum” - well there we go… that makes it all worth it!! Fast asleep this afternoon ❤️

04/05/2023

Well it has been an emotional week at Ascot Towers! Tomorrow morning Abi is heading to college for her first overnight stay in preparation for starting in September. I’d love to say the feels have all been positive but after the ups and downs we have had it was never going to be that simple.

Lots of tears, lots of cups of tea, lots of talking about our emotions and lots of gentle hugs - she is just about ready. Thank you to everyone for their support and lovely messages.

We also mastered the press stud machine, dropped new ascots off to The Red Lion Hopwas and made more for DogVille… phew!

29/04/2023

Beautiful day in Hopwas today ❤️

Lots of lovely doggies out walking in Hopwas Woods today. The bluebells were out, the sun was shining and we were sent a lovely photo of Jack wearing his new starry ascot - just stunning! Have a lovely weekend all ❤️

29/04/2023

Lots of lovely doggies out walking in Hopwas Woods today. The bluebells were out, the sun was shining and we were sent a lovely photo of Jack wearing his new starry ascot - just stunning! Have a lovely weekend all ❤️

28/04/2023

More prep today for DogVille

Abi’s Nick name at home is Bee… So these fabrics feel appropriate ❤️

Light grey, dark grey and navy blue. All press stud fastening. Small 30-40cm, medium 40-50cm and large 50-70cm. All £5 each… we are working on stock of these for The Red Lion Hopwas to have soon x

26/04/2023

Hello everyone - Sarah here, Abi's mum. Just a quick update... Abi's Tribunal (a legal tussle with our Local Authority that many parents of children and young people with additional needs will know only too well...) is still ongoing, one thing we do know is that she IS going to be heading to residential college in September - a few more bits to iron out but generally all good.

Because of the transition to college she has stopped attending a wonderful day provision locally and we are spending lots of time together getting ready for her next steps towards her adult future. If anyone fancies a cuppa we are always up for meeting up particularly if cake is involved!

We are back on the ascots and have been invited to a Show!! We will be there all day and have some beautiful new fabrics to share with everyone. Thank you for all the love and support, Sarah and Abi x

14/12/2022

Evening all! Just a quick update because so many people have asked how Abi is getting on.

So… Abi is appealing her education health and care plan. This means that she is asking a Judge to look at what our local authority are providing (nothing) to support her education and preparation for living as independently as possible. The local authority had a deadline of the 20th October to name a college that they think can meet her needs. Hands up who thinks they met that deadline… so they asked for an extension and the new date is the 20th December. Let’s see what that deadline brings eh?!

We’ve been checking out Christmas lights, loving your photos of your beautiful dogs and meeting gorgeous new additions!

In the meantime there are lovely doggie ascots at The Red Lion Hopwas and Sandhu Stores at Mile Oak ❤️❤️❤️

02/12/2022

Evening all! Our lovely elf is home and back at it!! These aren’t ascots but lovely little bags that she is making for Christmas presents this year!

02/12/2022

Happy Elf Day everyone!! Abi is supporting today ❤️❤️❤️

01/12/2022

Happy 1st December everyone!!! And so it begins… Christmas ascots delivered to The Red Lion Hopwas with limited edition England ascots for all those football loving dogs out there!! £5 each ###

13/09/2022

Abi was hard at work this morning - she has been asked to make black arm bands for a local under 12 girls football team… once we are done here we are off to our volunteer shift at Barnardos - no rest for the wicked!

09/09/2022

Our lovely Pride ascots are all ready for you!

The press studs make the sizes slightly different.

Small 35-40cm neck size £7 (+ £2 postage)
Large 40-55cm neck size £9 (+ £2 postage)

Message us to place your postal orders or call in to The Red Lion, Hopwas to buy one!

Herbie is wearing a small on the picture indoors and a large in the picture outdoors. What is he chewing you ask? Oh that’s just an entire previously beautiful rose bush…

24/08/2022

Well... who knew that attaching a snap popper to an Ascot was so bloody complicated?

16/08/2022

We are still alive (just about!) After six months working with our local authority planning Abi's specialist college placement they have now refused her funding. We are devastated but we are not yet beaten! So - we will be selling Ascots again in the very near future, our next range will be ready for Birmingham Pride. This time all the cash goes to our solicitor in order to get Abi the support she needs and deserves. Thank you as always for your support, kindness and love - it is so very much appreciated

02/04/2022

Hello everyone - Sarah here, Abi's mum. I hope you are all well and enjoying some spring sunshine!

Just a quick / quite long update, it has been a mind bending few months and once again I am in total awe of my girl.

We started this page for Abi to connect with people and share her love of sewing and dogs. We were looking at contributing to a place of her own in the garden but guess what... the more we looked into it, the clearer it became that this is not what Abi wants. She wants to make her own way in the world, to learn the skills she needs to live as independently as possible and to leave home (gulp).

As her mum I can't tell you how scary this feels but I am doing my very best to listen well, to separate my needs from hers and to do all I can to make her dreams a reality. I am not doing this on my own as every single member of her family and wider circle of support has worked their socks off.

So... the last three months have consisted of finding specialist professionals, endless assessments, discussions with statutory services, legal advice and visits to colleges that may be able to support Abi to develop her independent living skills. I'd love to say that our Local Authority has funded this process but actually, you guys did some of that! It has cost thousands and we still don't have a final decision. Abi is hoping very much to attend Derwen College in September and to begin her journey towards independence. I am a nervous wreck but if she has the courage for this then I have match her!

Check out Abi's dreams - not so different from anyone else's - but more importantly check out that smile, the smile of a young woman that is being listened to and has optimism for her own, self determined, future.

Thank you all so much - we promise to have some new spring stock in the Red Lion, Hopwas by Easter weekend. With love to you and yours, Sarah x

11/02/2022

Hello everyone! How are we almost halfway through February? We hope that January was kind and that you are settling nicely into 2022.

We have news - thanks to a fabulous donation from In Control we are going to start using press studs on our ascots... soon - we just need to buy the thingy.... Thank you Julie and everyone at In Control for your support!

In other news our house has been bonkers with Abi's brother turning 18 whilst Abi has been doing all sorts of creative things as well as making some plans for her future... watch this space - one thing we are learning is that this stuff takes ages and it doesn't always go the way you think it will.

We are getting back to the ascots in the next couple of weeks - we are thinking of springtime and Pride as our next theme with bumble bees and rainbows all round - check out Betty Boop for just a hint of how fabulous these will be.

Have a fabulous weekend - give all those beautiful pooches a smooch from us and we will be back soon!!

08/01/2022

Morning all! Abi and I had planned to start work on our new bumble bee ascots this week but Covid has come to stay in our house again - Ted this time, the rest of us are testing daily and all negative… we hope everyone of safe and well and will share our new, frankly beautiful, ascots as soon as we can ❤️

01/01/2022

Happy New Year everyone!! We are delighted to tell you we made the Honours list!!! Minnie has been made a Dame for services to lying down and Herbie is now a member of the Royal Tights and Garter for services to running quite fast. We are beyond proud ❤️

Have a fabulous 2022 with love from Abi and Sarah

27/12/2021

Gorgeous Ben and his pal Sally - they win the prize for the traveling ascots! They live in a town called Seydikemer which is near Olu deniz - bloody brilliant!

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas you lovely lot!! ❤️❤️❤️

22/12/2021

Abi is off to a Christmas party today after days of creative creating at home. We made our last delivery of Ascots to the Red Lion in Hopwas on Monday and are now officially chilling ❤️

We wanted to wish everyone a safe and restful Christmas and New Year. Thank you so much for your support, messages, photos and general fabulousness! See you on the other side! 🎅🏻