Knitting therapy group proves to be a darned top-notch idea
A GROUP is looking to raise awareness of people with mental health conditions through the power of knitting.
Cogknitive Therapy was set up by Hazel Grove resident Gill Ball and has around 25 members.
Each member has contributed towards knitting a large woollen bandage, currently 310m long.
Gill is hoping the group will be able to present the fruits of its efforts to the Prime Minister’s Office to help raise awareness of mental health conditions such as depression.
Gill, 46, said: “If you’ve got a broken arm or leg, people can see the plaster cast or bandage and so it’s quite obvious – whereas, with mental health conditions, you can’t see it, so that’s where I first got the idea from.
“It’s all about making it visual as people might be going about with big smiles on their faces and yet people don’t know what’s going on beneath that.
“We want to say it’s okay to talk about it because if nobody does talk about it, nothing will change – that’s the idea.”
Each group member has been busy knitting new sections of the bandage before passing it on to the next person to add on their part.
Gill said: “What’s really important with a group like ours is that it’s about real people doing something because they are passionate about it.
“You can have celebrities talking about issues all you want, but that won’t always have an impact and the government won’t necessarily put money into the NHS so address it.
“It isn’t just about mental health either, as there is also the issue of people with physical disabilities, as mental health issues can also affect them.
“I’m not sure how we are going to get the bandage to Downing Street yet – so far we have just been knitting it between ourselves and it’s been keeping us all busy.
“I’ve been in touch with Theresa May’s secretary a few times but we still need to work out how we are going to present it.”
For more information about the group, visit www.facebook. comgroups/1769424 349959366/
Knitting itself has often been praised as an activity which can be used to promote good mental health.
Some studies have suggested that those who keep active with activities such as knitting, which encourage creativity including reading books, playing games or crafting have a decreased risk of mild cognitive impairment, a possible precursor to Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.
Knitting is also said to be an excellent therapy for low mood and anxiety.