Blackpool charity Donna's Dream House gets a woolly boost from natty knitters

Where there’s wool, there’s a way! Knitting nanas at a Poulton retirement complex have given a double boost to Blackpool charity Donna’s Dream House.
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The residents at the Station Road flats at Crocus Court have a regular programme of arts and crafts, and decided to use their skills to help the charity which provides holidays for youngsters with life limiting illnesses.

The keen knitters among the over 70s living there got their needles flying to create 15 blankets for the children.

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Organiser of the fund-raising effort, Janet Rudnick, 83, said: “We have something different virtually every day. One of our activities is a craft group which does a variety of things such as art or knitting.

Members of the craft group at Crocus Court have donated knitted blankets to Len Curtis from Donna's Dream House.  He is pictured with Jill Snowball and Vera LowisMembers of the craft group at Crocus Court have donated knitted blankets to Len Curtis from Donna's Dream House.  He is pictured with Jill Snowball and Vera Lowis
Members of the craft group at Crocus Court have donated knitted blankets to Len Curtis from Donna's Dream House. He is pictured with Jill Snowball and Vera Lowis

“We decided to make the blankets to help Donna’s Dream House as it is a good local charity and we asked Len Curtis to come along to give us a talk.

“We made 15 blankets, which we donated to Len.

“There were around six of us knitted them. It took four to five months, with much of the work done outside the craft sessions in our own time. Each blanket is different. They are made of squares of different colour put together and the children there can have them as comfort blankets.”

Len Curtis, chairman of trustees at Donna’s Dream House, which has two houses where people can come to Blackpool on holiday, said the Crocus Court residents also donated around £700 to help launch the charity’s latest project – the refurbishment of its room for disabled visitors.

Len Curtis from Donna's Dream House talking to the residents at Crocus Court in PoultonLen Curtis from Donna's Dream House talking to the residents at Crocus Court in Poulton
Len Curtis from Donna's Dream House talking to the residents at Crocus Court in Poulton
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He said: “I want to thank everyone at Crocus Court. The blankets will be used on the beds and for people using wheelchairs.

“We are hoping to raise £4,500 to have the room ready for Easter.”

He said the charity was busier than ever with more families coming for respite breaks in winter than in previous years.

He said: “We have around 1,600 families come every year to our two buildings and we also get help from some of the hotels when we are really busy.”