A group of Lanarkshire ladies completed a ‘quilty’ pleasure achievement recently.
For the Lanarkshire Linus Group celebrated making and distributing their 16,000th quilt issued to vulnerable children (from birth to 18/19 years) over the last 16 years!
The group of 20 to 30 volunteer pensioners have been unable to hold their monthly meetings since last February but, despite Covid restrictions, they were still able to deliver the quilts and blankets to 916 children across Lanarkshire and Glasgow East in 2020 - totalling 16,088 over the years.
Project Linus is a charitable organisation which provides homemade quilts, blankets and incubator covers to children who are sick, bereaved or traumatised.
They help youngsters in hospitals and hospices as well as via social workers, health visitors, school nurses and Women’s Aid.
Across Lanarkshire alone they donate over 100 items every month of the year – building numbers up gradually since their first delivery to Wishaw General in August 2004.
Elspeth Russell, voluntary coordinator with the Lanarkshrie Linus group, was delighted to reach the momentous total and told the Advertiser: “Our deliveries to University Hospital Wishaw and the Princess Royal Hospital had to be curtailed due to the pandemic, but we upped our donations to Social Work Services, local health visitors, community nurses, Women’s Aid and Young Carers in North Lanarkshire this year and this led to our 16,000th donation.
“Our work even led to us receiving message from Project Linus head quarters commending our team for handing over 16,088 quilts in the sixteenth year of our existence.
“Any knitters or sewers who would like to join our group or anyone who would like to donate cotton fabric and knitting wool, or even monetary donations as we fund all costs ourselves, can do so by contacting myself on elspethrussell@ymail.com.”
Project Linus is named after the character in the Peanuts cartoon strip who was always featured carrying a blanket for security.
Go to projectlinusuk.org.uk for more information.
