A KNITTING group in Melksham has raised over £400 for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
The group of women, known as The Woolies, meet every Tuesday at Rowley Place and have been knitting for nine months.
Liz Taylor, one of the members said, “It started just as a group of friends having a get-together but then we decided that we should do something for charity, and it grew from there.”
Sylvia Mortimer said, “At Christmas, we wanted to organise a table-top sale and knit hats, scarves, blankets, toys and other pieces but not long after we started knitting, the community centre at Rowley Place was closed down, so we had nowhere to hold it. We gave a lot of the items we had made away and sold the rest and collected £169.19 for the air ambulance.
“Then before we knew it, we were knitting again! This time it was little chicks for Easter.”
Liz added, “We made over 300 chicks – the orders kept coming in! We couldn’t knit quickly enough. We were surprised how many we’ve made and sold, we didn’t think they would be so popular.
“It’s quite fiddly and to make one takes about an hour, but we’ve all enjoyed making them. A few of us haven’t knitted in 40 years, but it soon came back to us.
“We wanted to raise money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance because a few of our friends have had to use them before. It’s such a worthy cause and you never know when you might need them.”
Nick Galpin who organises events at Rowley Place said, “I think what the ladies have done is wonderful. They paid for all the materials themselves, including the eggs that are inside the chicks and spent so much of their time knitting, all for charity. They should all be very proud of themselves.”
