Residents of River View Court, a McCarthy Stone retirement development in West Bridgford, have been knitting and crocheting poppies to raise money for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.
Members of the ‘knit and natter’ group at River View Court have been creating the poppies since August. Each handmade poppy is being sold for £3 to residents, family members, and friends at River View Court, with all proceeds going to the charity.
Key figures:
- 1,500 metres of wool have been used to make 430 individual poppies
• Each poppy takes approximately 75 minutes to knit or crochet, which equates to 537.50 hours of knitting and crocheting throughout the year
• £400 has been raised so far for the Poppy Appeal
The ‘knit and natter’ group takes place in the shared lounge and has been running at River View Court since the development opened in 2016. By their own admission, it’s often more ‘natter’ than ‘knit’ but a chance mistake by the wool supplier led to River View Court Duty Manager, Paula Strickson, coming up with the poppy idea.
The exhibition showcases memorabilia from WWII, original photographs, and testimonials from family members of River View Court residents and staff.
Local 96-year-old resident and ‘knit and natter’ group member Barbara Michell, who’s lived at River View Court since 2022, said of the idea for the project: “I originally bought the red wool to make a jumper for my great-grandson, but the company sent me 25 packets of free wool by mistake, instead of just one ball. When Paula suggested using the wool to make poppies, we all thought it was a lovely idea.”
On whether she found it strenuous, Barbara said: “I take rosehip for my hands and stuck to making two poppies per evening, so I never had a problem. When I start something, I won’t be beaten!”
On her love of crafts, she explained: “I started crocheting when I was 11 years old. As I’m left-handed, I had to adapt the instructions myself as everything at that time was for right-handed people. Since then, I’ve always loved crafts and I even completed a City & Guilds course in fashion so I could make my own clothes.”
Members of the ‘knit and natter’ group that were involved in the project included Brenda Turier, Elizabeth Carrington, Gill Montgomery, Marilyn Pinkett, Jo Wolfe, Pamela English, Georgie Skoyles and Barbara Mitchell.
Photos credit: Jason Fennell