Neighbourly knitting
Two Northampton knitters put their needles to good work in lockdown, producing thousands of items of knitting for charity
When lockdown was announced, many of us felt confusion and uncertainty, worried about what was to come – and how we might cope being at home for weeks on end. For two resourceful women in Northampton though, the answer was simple: knitting. And not just any knitting, but fundraising for good causes.
A KNITTING MARATHON
The knitting began when Ruth Wright realised that charities couldn’t fundraise normally during lockdown, with marathons and other events cancelled. Together with her next-door neighbour Pauline Scrivener, as well as their knit and natter group, she began knitting toys that could be given in exchange for a donation to the local Cynthia Spencer Hospice, which had looked after Ruth’s late husband. “They’d looked after him – and me – so well,” she says. But they didn’t stop there, also knitting up prem baby hats for hospitals, trauma teddies and mask headbands – strips of fabric with buttons that can be used to take the pressure o the ears when wearing a face mask for long periods. These were donated to care homes, hospitals and Amazon workers. “You name it, we
do it!” laughs Ruth. Knitting away, they always kept their ears open for any good causes that needed knitted items, and responded to the call.
KEEPING BUSY
Of course, it wasn’t just the charities that benefited from Ruth and Pauline’s good work – the women themselves found it helped them cope with the national lockdown. “Otherwise we would have been climbing the walls!” says Ruth, who has lived on her own since her husband died. Pauline and other local knitters were also shielding, so facing even stricter restrictions on daily life. “It passes the time – you’ve got to do something!” smiles Ruth, who in more normal times mostly knits for her great grandchildren. But at the time of writing, the great charity push is not over yet: “We’re still knitting!”
Want to know more? Visit www. cynthiaspencer.org.uk to learn more about the hospice’s work.