Bewsey Lodge pupils' knitting project to keep newborn babies warm

A knitting group at Bewsey Lodge Primary School, on Lodge Lane, have been meeting once a week to practice their skills and create one-of-a-kind pieces to keep the neonatal babies warm and comfortable when they are receiving treatment. 

The group is led by teacher Laura Wright and is made up of 21 pupils from year four to six.

Zachary Blakeley, modelling the knitwear on the Neonatal Unit (Image: Supplied)
They each love to use lots of colours in their knitting designs and patterns.

 When asked what they love most about the club, one pupil replied: “I just love knitting. I love to make blankets for the babies at the hospital.”

This year the avid knitters made 55 hats, cardigans and blankets for babies on the Neonatal Unit. 

And the group have generously been donating their knitting to the hospital for more than ten years, with support from volunteer Jean Hinchcliffe, who helps keep the after-school club running.

Laura commented on the knitting group, saying: “I love to see the joy on the children’s faces when they learn this new skill and create new pieces. 

Leo Thwaites with his new blanket from the club (Image: Supplied)
“The club wouldn’t be possible without our support from Jean, who shares her love for knitting with the children, and I am grateful that we are able to continue this tradition of donating to the hospital year on year.”

An annual tradition, the donation was gratefully received at the school’s last club meeting before the summer holidays by Julia Austin, the nursery nurse on the unit. She said: “It is always a delight to visit the school and receive the fabulous unique pieces of knitting from the children. 

“Each year I am so impressed by what the children create, and I know how much they mean to the families that receive care on our unit. I can’t wait to see the families’ smiles when we share the pieces with them.”