I am a keen knitter, and I found out that Sands needed blankets to include in memory boxes, so I began knitting them. I did this for a while, but as the blankets take quite a long time to make, progress was slow. I was speaking to some other ladies in my local U3A group and discovered that they enjoyed knitting too, so I decided to set up a knitting group.
There are around 12 of us who meet every Wednesday morning, and now we’re able to produce many more blankets—six were given to me just this morning. I believe that, in total, we have made over 200 blankets for memory boxes.
The importance of the blankets was really brought home to me when I had to go into hospital for a hip operation. I was knitting a blanket, and one of the nurses asked me if it was a memory blanket—which it was. She then shared that she had received a memory box containing a blanket when her baby died. She told me how much comfort it brought her to be able to hold the blanket, knowing that her baby had been wrapped in it. It showed me just how much impact the blankets can have, and the difference they make to families. I know Sands has received a lot of feedback about how important the blankets are, so I feel honoured to be able to contribute.
We love meeting as a group—people come every week, even during holidays. Some of the ladies have told me that they used to rarely go out, but now they really look forward to our Wednesday mornings. We chat, have a coffee, and knit together; there’s a real social aspect to it. The group has helped to ease the isolation that some of the ladies were feeling.
I think it really shows the value of volunteering—not just for bereaved families, but also for the volunteers themselves. It brings people together and helps reduce loneliness and isolation.
