The comforting click-clack of needles and a contented hum of conversation drifts around Kelty community centre every Monday afternoon. This is when the members of Loving Hands meet to craft heart-warming items for charities around the world.
Founder and group coordinator Kate Reeve explains how it all began 10 years ago: “When a three-day knit-athon was held in Kirkcaldy back in 2007, it was obvious that many people there enjoyed knitting, crocheting and sewing but had little outlet for their talents,” she says.
The perfect solution was to set up groups to link their work with charities that needed handmade items and that same year, Loving Hands in the Fife town of Kelty was born .
The ethos behind Loving Hands is to bring together like-minded crafters to knit, crochet and sew for charities and groups from all over the world. Every item is given with love and never sold.
“We have 22 regular members who come to our meetings from all over – Bridge of Earn, Alloa, Tillicoultry, Kinross, Kinneswood, Dunfermline, Crossgates, Rosyth and even a few from Kelty itself! There are several more who can’t attend but are involved via email and Facebook and make lots of items for us.”
The organisation has grown over the past 10 years and other groups have been formed all around the UK.
Always on the look-out for charities for members to support locally, Loving Hands in Kelty support a number of charities Dundee Refugee Support Centre, SSPCA and Fife Sands Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity.
The members, who meet every week in Kelty’s community centre, make everything from blanket squares, baby cardigans, and hats, gloves, socks and scarves to heart-shaped pillows for breast cancer patients.
In addition they make burial items for tiny babies who do not survive, to knitted ‘boobs’ which are used to teach breastfeeding in UK hospitals, blankets, knee rugs and shoulder wraps for the elderly, activity mats and muffs for dementia sufferers, hats for sailors, blankets and clothing for African charities, and warm clothing for the homeless and for children living in freezing conditions in places like Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova.
But it’s not all about the crafting and when it comes to the social side there’s no pulling the wool over their eyes. Naturally a cuppa and a cake are a central part of the meetings and, says Kate, the banter and leg-pulling are what keeps everyone coming back for more.
“And of course the support everyone gives to members during good times and bad is priceless,” she says.
Kate, a former nurse who now works part-time in a local optician’s, learned to sew and knit at school.
“I was brought up at a time when mums made their own and their children’s clothes. I carried on the tradition of knitting and crocheting when my own children were young and made things for my grandchildren,” she explains.
She’s pleased to be helping handmade crafts to make a comeback.
“A few years ago all the wool and craft shops seemed to be closing but now it’s possible to buy materials from lots of different outlets, not to mention craft magazines and online resources to tap into,” she says.
“Some of our ladies go to Kelty Primary School once a month to pass on basic handicraft skills to the pupils there. There’s a real satisfaction in creating something with your own hands and the pleasure of knowing that whatever you’re making will be put to very good use by the charities we support.
For Kate one of the best aspects of the get-togethers is the social interaction with the other women.
“It’s wonderful to share ideas, patterns and wool and seeing some people who have rarely or never knitted or crocheted before create amazing garments and getting such pleasure from their accomplishments.
“Any mistakes that people apologise for are described as ‘design features’ that make the item unique!” she chuckles.
To find out more about Loving Hands, to take part in their Winter Challenges or to donate baby clothes, wool and fabric, contact info@lovinghands.org.uk or visit www.lovinghands.org.uk
