Nursing home knitting drive for Rockinghorse babies
Residents of the Maycroft Manor Care Home in Patcham are knitting blankets for premature babies for local children’s charity, Rockinghorse Appeal, as part of a group helping tackle loneliness.
Knit & Natter is a weekly group set up to enable elderly residents to engage with the local community, organised by Brighton-based funeral home, Attree & Kent. The group has grown in numbers since its first meeting back in January 2019 with regular visitors joining residents for the friendly, creative sessions every Tuesday.
The Rockinghorse Appeal, which supports children’s hospital care from birth to 18 years, relies on donations and is always in need of blankets and jumpers for premature babies. After meeting with a Rockinghorse rep, the group’s organisers saw the potential to enable elderly residents to help a charity in need, while giving members a cause to get behind.
Attree & Kent has supported Rockinghorse in other ways such as a recent charity quiz night at St Peter's Church Hall in Hove that raised £320. The funeral home is part of the tenth-generation family run funeral directors, CPJ Field, which runs events to tackle loneliness in the community as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
Laura Wordsworth, Funeral Arranger & Brighton Community Champion for Attree & Kent, said: “Sadly loneliness is something we often see in our line of work, and it’s our job to care for the living as much as we care for the dead. The Knit & Natter groups give elderly residents the opportunity to engage with new people, over an activity that anyone can enjoy. It’s amazing the impact a friendly conversation can have on someone’s wellbeing and regular, dependable get togethers help that happen. Making beautiful gifts for the babies that Rockinghorse supports has given the group a real sense of purpose.”
Terrina Barnes, Corporate Fundraising Manager for Rockinghorse appeal, said “The support shown by the ladies at Maycroft Manor and Attree & Kent is greatly appreciated. We’re always in need of woollies for premature babies and the families we work with love these thoughtful handmade gifts.”
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About CPJ Field
CPJ Field is a leading family funeral service provider, which operates funeral homes across East and West Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Dorset, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and South London.
In 2015, the business celebrated its 325th anniversary, its origins and heritage date back to the late 1600s. Over the past three centuries it has been actively owned and managed by the Field family through ten generations and has assisted with the funeral arrangements of monarchs and national heroes such as the Duke of Wellington, Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.
CPJ Field’s funeral homes provide the highest standards of care and commitment offering a range of bespoke services such as funeral planning, funeral prepayment plans, legal services, flowers, monumental masonry and international repatriation. Professionally trained and compassionate staff guide customers through what can be a stressful and highly emotional time.
For more information, please contact:
Ruby Short, Fugu PR; cpjfield@fugupr.com; 01273 327514
