Women’s Institute (WI) members in Thurrock and Essex Freemasons got together with local charity Get Started Art and the Stifford Clays Medical Practice Patient Participation Group (PPG) to give knitted toys and clothes for Basildon-based charity Colourful Beginnings.
In the UK, around 60,000 babies are born prematurely every year. One in 13 is born before 37 weeks. Colourful Beginnings supports families with premature and sick babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) UK-wide.
Freemasons at Cross Keys Masonic Centre in Chadwell St Mary and Get Started Art raised funds to purchase wool, crochet and knitting needles and other materials needed to knit octopus and jellyfish comforters, baby bonnets and blankets. The WI and Stifford Clays PPG knitted and crocheted hundreds of the much-needed toys and bonnets at their regular arts and crafts workshops.
The weight of most premature babies is around 500g because their systems are not fully developed. Feeling the closeness of parents has a significant effect on babies’ recovery and growth. However, many parents are not able to hold their babies close as they are so tiny. That’s where the octopus comforters help. The baby holds the tentacles of their little friend and this helps to keep them calm because the octopus tentacles resemble the umbilical cord in the womb. And in NICU, the babies hold the octopus tentacles instead of pulling life-saving tubes and cables out.
David Barton of Cross Keys Masonic Centre and Get Started Art said:
‘This is an important initiative that can make such a huge difference to all the families that need support at such a difficult time. Special thanks go to Sue Leech of the WI and Viv Crouch at Stifford Clays PPG for helping make this project so successful.’
Viv added:
‘Our PPG knitters are always ready to help a charity.’
