18th March 2019
NEWS RELEASE
Date: 12 March 2019
The Sim Court Knit and Natter Group has been very productive in the last twelve months, raising money for resident outings and creating blankets to donate to the Jigsaw charity shop in Penrith.
Every Monday afternoon, the Knit and Natter group get together at Eden Housing Association’s Sim Court Assisted Living Scheme, for coffee, cake and a good chat. Putting their time to good use, they bring along their knitting needles, crochet hooks and bags of wool, creating a haul of hats, gloves, scarfs and blankets to attract donations.
The community group, which is made up of Sim Court tenants and local residents, has been running for many years, encouraging people to get together and raising funds to support activities at the scheme. Regular participants currently include Edna Shadwick, Hazel Boyes, Eileen Soulsby and Pat Sewell, often joined by former avid knitter Louie Dent.
John Clasper, Chief Executive of Eden Housing Association said “I’d like to say a big thank you to the group who knitted some amazing hats and gloves which they sold at the Christmas Fair and also offered to our staff. These ladies are very talented and with bobble hats being so popular, there was no shortage of takers at EHA.
The Sim Court Knit and Natter group is a great free community activity. The group organise themselves, encourage others in the neighbourhood to join in and they support local charities too.”
In the last twelve months, the clickety clack of needles also benefitted Jigsaw – Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice which was the group’s nominated charity. They knitted and crocheted blankets donating them to Jigsaw at Christmas. A total of 18 blankets were knitted – along with some extra hats and children’s clothing which were collected by a volunteer from the Jigsaw shop in Penrith.
Commenting on the donation of blankets and craftwork, Andrew Maddison, Marketing Manager from Jigsaw, said “We were delighted to collect the blankets and have the opportunity to meet the ladies from Knit and Natter who created them. The craftsmanship is fantastic and we’re really grateful for their donation of the items which were sold in our Penrith Shop. The money raised will help the children’s hospice to provide the highest standards of care, support and activities to children and young adults with life limiting illnesses.”
Loneliness can have a real impact on peoples’ lives especially when people get older. According to Age UK over 2 million people over the age of 75 live alone, so getting involved with local groups and activities can make a real difference. Using knowledge and experience gained over a lifetime to give something back to the community means you get a lot back in return – something this group of natty knitters know only too well.
For more details about the Knit and Natter group and other community activities at Eden Housing Association, on 01768 861 400
Jigsaw is the children’s hospice for Cumbria. From Workington to Appleby, Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle, Jigsaw provides unique care and support to children and young adults with life limiting illnesses.
