Wool needed to knit comforting blankets for dementia patients
A bustling Shropshire Rotary club has knitted over a dozen special blankets for dementia patients in hospital, but now the wool is running out and a call has gone out to the public for donations.
The blankets, created by Newport Rotary Lite and friends, help dementia patients at Princess Royal Hospital recognise where they are and help their care.
Newport Rotary Lite knitter Liz Chesters said: “Princess Royal Hospital contacted us and asked for help with their blankets for patients with dementia. What they asked us to do was knit very colourful individual blankets with strong patterns to put on dementia patients’ beds, so when they come back to it they recognise it’s theirs.
"The blanket then goes home with them for them to keep, giving them something warm, comforting and recognisable. The blankets really help these very vulnerable patients.
“We’ve knitted over a dozen so far, we’ve had a lot of help from the fabulous Nova Knits and several other friends of Newport Rotary Lite, but we’re all becoming a bit of a victim of our own success – we’re running out of wool!
"We knit the blankets to a particular specification and they can weigh about 500g each, which is a lot of wool. We rely on Lite members’ own wool stocks or donations, but we really need more wool now.
“If you have any wool that might be suitable for a blanket for a vulnerable elderly person, please could we have it? We’ll use it for the dementia blankets or one of our other charity projects.
"All you have to do is contact us through info@newportrotarylite.co.uk, the Newport Shrops Rotary Lite Facebook page, or by ringing me on 07732 854839, and we’ll sort something out. It’s a good way of people getting rid of wool that’s perhaps been sat in a cupboard for a while – we’ve all had that – and doing some good for others at the same time.
“Alternatively, if you are a knitter yourself you could knit a brightly coloured six inch square or strip of squares and let us have it, and we’ll incorporate it into one of the blankets. We’re deliberately doing random patterns for the patients’ blankets, so knitting a square or two for us is a super way of being part of a team effort.
“Our first dozen blankets are on their way to PRH now, but if you have any spare wool or feel like kitting a square or two please just contact us. Thank you everyone."
