Wirral's 'Purls of Wisdom' raise cash for Newborn Appeal (From Wirral Globe)

Wirral's 'Purls of Wisdom' raise cash for Newborn Appeal

3:23pm Tuesday 16th October 2012 in News

The handiwork of a knitting group who meet at a Wirral library is helping to raise funds for a neo-natal charity.

And members of the group handed over their latest items in person to the familiar face behind the Newborn Appeal, mum to Wallasey sextuplets Janet Walton.

The Newborn Appeal is celebrating its 20th year this year and has so far raised more than £2m to help to buy specialist equipment and fund research at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

One of the ways of fundraising has been selling the work of an army of volunteer knitters.

The women who make up the “Purls of Wisdom” knitting group, based at Bromborough Library, are among 500 volunteer knitters whose work last year netted sales worth around £36,000 for the charity – enough to pay for three incubators.

Purls of Wisdom was set up by regular library visitor Sue Pye just three months ago but has already established a loyal and solid member base at their fortnightly Thursday get-togethers, where they sit, knit and have a good natter.

Sue said: “The group has gelled together really well and we all look forward to our meetings. It’s been a real success and long may that continue.

“We decided early on that we wanted to knit for a charity and I knew a friend was involved with Jan Walton’s fundraising efforts, so we thought that the baby unit was the idea cause to work for.”

You name it, they’ve knitted it over these past few months – from woolly Father Christmases and Cinderellas, to mice, meerkats and mittens.

The woollies will now be sold on the charity’s stall at the Cherry Tree in Liscard.

Accepting the donations on the charity’s behalf, Jan told the group: “Being involved in something like this feels like I’ve gone full circle, really.

“ My Nan used to own a wool shop in Neston, Leadbetters, and I helped out in there from the age of five and my Auntie taught me to crochet a tea cosy.”

“Now, it’s a lovely thing to be involved in this knitting scheme and it really does make a valuable contribution to the charity’s fundraising. The skill of the knitters is amazing - some of them are even able to knit without patterns.”

Purls of Wisdom now plan to hold a fundraising event at Bromborough Library on Friday, December 21, to tie-in with the library’s popular Christmas coffee morning.