The St Mary’s Knitting Group has recently dispatched 35 boxes of blankets and items of clothing in response to the Samara’s Aid Appeal for Syrian refugees.
Always on the look-out for raw material, the group’s leader Sandra Lanigan heard through a friend of a plentiful supply of knitted wool squares at St Michael’s Church Betchworth, near Reigate. This is a village of only 600 people, and the suggestion from Pam Armitage (standing second right in photo) was accepted with enthusiasm that they make a knitted woollen Christmas tree to decorate the church. They set to and produced nearly 700 squares of wool, mostly measuring 8” sq. in all shades of green, with some white and red, every single one of which was used.
These became available for recycling when the tree was dismantled, and arrangements were made for their delivery to Rye. Snow and bad weather twice caused cancellation but this Monday March 26, the boxes were brought over, containing enough material to recycle and make 10 new blankets for refugees.
The knitting group was in session in St Mary’s church when Pam Armitage and her friends arrived. Finished samples of the group’s work were displayed, including items of clothing. One German visitor from a village near Dortmund was given a woolly jumper to take home with her. She told us that her village was host to 200 Syrian refugees who had been welcomed and taken care of by 50 local helpers.
If anyone would like to volunteer to sew up a blanket, please contact Sandra Lanigan by email: sandralanigan@gmail.com or tel: 01797 222571
Photos: Pam Armitage and Kenneth Bird