Community / Kind-hearted quilters donate hundreds of knitted items to Gilbert Bain maternity ward
MORE than 300 handmade hats for newborn babies have been delivered to the Gilbert Bain Hospital by a quilting group from North Berwick.
The Law Quilters and friends also supplied everything from neonatal blankets to cannula sleeves, crafted by their own hands, to the hospital’s maternity department on Saturday morning.
It is the second year in a row the group have donated their creations to NHS Shetland, with over 600 hats now making their way to the isles from East Lothian.
Christine Dawson handed over the latest batch of woven goods over the weekend while on her second holiday to Shetland in the last two years with her daughter.
She said she was inspired to ask the local health board if they would accept the Law Quilters’ donation after the group began delivering similar packages to the Borders General Hospital in the Scottish Borders.
While they initially started by making quilts for themselves almost 40 years ago, the group took on a more charitable bent after hearing about the Project Linus organisation, which started in the USA.
“The intention was to make quilts for terminally ill children,” Dawson told Shetland News.
“It started to grow and we started making quilts for victims of domestic abuse, and people in need basically.”
They began to make hats for premature babies, but when Covid hit the Law Quilters were suddenly left with “an influx” of hats.
“We had about 600 and we couldn’t actually get them delivered,” Dawson said.
“When Covid ended Livingston and Edinburgh didn’t want any more, but the Borders hospital said they would be delighted to take them.”
Ahead of her first visit to Shetland last year she decided to ask NHS Shetland if they would like any.
“When we phoned up there was a silence on the end of the phone at first, and then they asked what they [the hats] were made of.
“We said acrylic and they said they would take them.
“There’s a lot of knitting that goes on up here, but it’s with Shetland wool, which isn’t really suitable for sticking on a newborn because it can be itchy.
“We took up 300 hats last year and this year they said they would be delighted to take them again.”
Dawson said she met two girls at the hospital on Saturday who were “delightful” and “just absolutely thrilled to get them”.
She explained the group knit through the long, dark winter nights “just to keep the fingers moving when you’re sat in front of the TV”.
“We meet once a week through the school term and once a month on a Saturday,” she said.
“The group have been around for almost 40 years. Some of the original members are still there.
“I came in my 30s and I’m nearly 70 now – I was one of the youngest ones but now I’m at the opposite end!”
Dawson and her daughter are back in the isles for a second holiday in quick succession after enjoying their first trip so much last year.
“We did a bit of touring about last year, but we didn’t see everything so we wanted to come back,” she said.
“We really like it here, it’s a really nice place and everybody is really friendly.
“We’ll definitely be back.”
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