Jarrow knitting group creates 100 hats to help keep babies warm in Palestine

The hats are the handiwork of the talented Parish of Simonside and Jarrow’s Knit and Craft group.

Their woolly creations are going to the North East charity Practical Compassion for Destitute Children (PCDC), a faith-based organisation working with children in Palestine in the most need.

It offers funding towards schooling as well as practical help – such as warm clothing.

The knitting group meets at St Peter's Church on York Avenue in Jarrow every Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm and supports a number of different projects for good causes.

Rector of the parish of Jarrow and Simonside, Revd Lesley Jones said: “We heard about the charity's work, and how they needed small hats for mother's struggling to keep their babies and young children warm.

“True to form, our generous knitters stepped up and within a few weeks produced 100 small hats.”

The knitters have a history of bringing colour and smiles to faces in South Tyneside. A year ago they used their work to carry out a spot of “yarn bombing” to decorate a tree outside St Peter’s Church.

At Christmas 2021 they also knitted a host of over 1,000 colourful angels which appeared across Jarrow and Simonside. The tagged angels were there to be taken home as gifts by people across the parish, spreading a little Christmas joy.

The group’s next project is already underway. This time they are making much larger hats for the Mission to Seafarers, which helps seafarers deal with mental health, loneliness and financial issues. Its Tyne and Wear branch is based at Mill Dam, close to the Customs House in South Shields.

The Parish of Simonside and Jarrow’s Knit and Craft group is at least as much about the social aspect as the knitting itself. In fact knitting is optional.

Anyone who would like to find out more about the group, just pop in at the parish office or call 0191 489 1925.

To find out more about Practical Compassion for Destitute Children and the work they do, go to www.pcdcuk.com.