A passion for knitting and giving back to others has united a small group of women to donate items to victims of domestic of violence.
The group ranging in age from 66 to 97 began knitting together in 2018.
When the charity Your Town found out about the group, they asked one of the members, Jennifer O’Dowd, if they could knit items for their domestic violence refuge on the Gold Coast.
She said the other ladies were keen to get on board and now everything they knit goes to the women and children at the domestic violence refuge.
“Those families often arrive at the refuge with nothing but the clothes on their back,” Jennifer explained.
“Providing them with blankets and warm items to wear is a practical way we can help these people who are doing it tough, but it’s also a lovely way to show them that people in the community do care about them and what they are going through.”
The group, which is part of the Tamborine Mountain Women’s Group, has donated approximately 100 blankets, 200 scarves, 300 beanies, 80 baby items as well as socks, slippers, kid’s jumpers and teddies and even pram covers to the refuge.
Once a year, usually in autumn, someone from the refuge comes to visit the group and talks about the work they do and then takes the knits to the refuge to distribute them.
They call the blankets ‘love rugs’ and have a little ritual where they wrap the blanket around the families on the day they leave the refuge; to symbolically remind them they are wrapped in love and there is a community of people who care about them.
“It is a reminder they are not alone,” Jennifer said.
“It makes you feel really good and lucky it’s not your situation, but you are giving something to those not so fortunate. You imagine the beanies providing warmth and a bit of love to the kids. It’s a very worthwhile cause,” knitter Sue Lochran said.
Sandra Clipstone said she loves meeting up with the other women every fortnight to chat and knit.
“I don’t know what I’d do without the group now,” she said adding that despite having moved off the mountain she continues to get her husband to drive her up each fortnight.
The group welcomes donations of 4 Seasons Marvel acrylic eight ply yarn which can be easily washed by the recipients and has no joins in it.
