In Stitches

The Newsletter for Project Linus Co-ordinators – June  2010

Total donations to date 120,030

We already have 5,674for this year

New Co-ordinators

Angela McIntosh Northumberland 0191 2592375 angela-mcintosh@hotmail.co.uk

 

Linus at the V&A

Thanks to all those who came along to help at the cutting out beforehand as well as the three days of the social. The 150 Girl Guides did their sewing sitting on the floor of the Raphael Gallery which is dimly lit to protect the pictures and has a grey tiled floor which was a bit of a challenge but they all enjoyed themselves even if some of their running stitches were more like leaping stitches! Over 1,000 people attended and 31 tops were completed and had fleece backings at least cut out for them by the end of the weekend. Many more blocks and kits were taken away for completion particularly by Eileen Head (North London) and Jane Steward of Quaggy Quilters in South London. Most of the quilts were donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital and Kids Company. I showed some Linus Quilts with help from Elspeth. You can seen the conditions in which the Guides worked but they seemed to enjoy the experience. Nadia Arbach of the V&A (left) and Jane Steward show some finished quilts. The photographer didn’t get any pictures with other Linus ladies in, unfortunately.

 

 

 

Festival of Quilts

This year’s theme is the Seaside, blocks 6 ½” or 12 ½”. Bring them to the Festival of send them to me at 18 Alison Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire SY6 7AT. I will be sorting out the rota shortly so let me know if you will be able to help out. Even if you are only making a short visit to the show and don’t have time to  help out, do come and say hello as it is lovely to put faces to names.

Next year’s theme will be ‘Going Places’ – all forms of transport. Several people have suggested this and I am sure it will be popular. My grandson did his first camping trip in a Thomas the Tank Engine sleeping bag and he could hardly stop laughing when he first tried it out as Thomas is one of his favourites.

 

Comfort Cushions

I heard a lovely idea that one of our groups also hope to give each resident of a home a matching well stuffed cushion to go with their quilt. This reason for this is that the children sometimes take their anger out by hitting something rather than someone. Currently they hit walls, with consequent visits to A and E. A very well stuffed cushion could double as a punch bag and might save injury.

Criteria for Prioritising Quilts

I am sure that other groups must have similar problems in trying to be fair even when there are not enough quilts for all children. Does anyone have any advice here?

“One of the members of Caithness Quilters is a GP at the largest medical group practice in Wick. She understands that the Ambulance Stations are obvious channels for getting quilts to appropriate recipients but pointed out that many seriously ill children who have to travel the 100 miles to our nearest big hospital in Inverness are often taken down by family or by hospital transport cars and never encounter an ambulance. Similarly giving quilts to the hospital in Wick does not cater for children who are referred by their GP straight to Inverness.

“She has volunteered that she and her colleagues, including the local mental health worker who has clients in various Caithness schools, would distribute Linus Quilts but she has requested a detailed criteria list. This would obviously include ‘not children resident at Wick Children’s Centre’ as these young people will be being given quilts by another distribution route. However, is there a list in use elsewhere we could adapt to our own circumstances? We want to make sure our offerings reach as many children and young people who would benefit as possible whilst avoiding giving multiple Linus quilts to one individual child. In particular we want to be fair and consistent, and be seen to be so. If we can get a system the GPs in this one practice can operate, then we’d see if the other practices in Caithness and Sutherland would do the same. The sort of things she’s asking about relate to severity of illness, expected duration of illness, multiple factors such as physical illness, mental health problems, social deprivation, family.”

Around the Country

 

Celia Wright in Birmingham North reports that she was at a thank you dinner for supporters of the Birmingham Crisis Centre when the Lord Mayor of Birmingham came to sit next to her. She was able to tell him that the wife of an ex-Mayor was one of her volunteer knitters. He was most interested in Project Linus and has taken away one of our leaflets.

 

Joy Edginton Birmingham South has received a total received 4,307 Orphan blocks just 2 years now since she started. She and her volunteers have made a total of 275 quilts from the blocks.

 

 

Marian Evans writes “Yesterday I visited and delivered a quilt I had made especially to a little girl called Daisy Pritchard who had a stroke at the age of 21 months, following surgery, which went undetected for 10 days. She is now 3 and a delightful child who still has problems, particularly with her right arm,  but is able to walk and talk, and even attends school,  thanks to the perseverance and dedication of her mother and family.  Her mother, Eileen, runs a facebook page for Daisy and has since put onto the web site details of Project Linus.  Eileen is trying to get the word out by as many means as possible to make people aware that children can have strokes and the sooner they are detected the better. Daisy’s site is:   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daisy-Pritchard-Wrexham-Child-Stroke-Survivor/145153931787” Amy Kidd, Wrexham Park Paediatric A&E writes “Everyone in your team has been so helpful and kind. I now have a collection of lovely slings. The children have loved them!! Having those coloured has made a world of difference to each of them. I have received two duvets which we have managed to make twenty from!! I am just in the process of getting some pictures done of the children wearing them; I will then forward them on to you and the kind members of your team. Thank you once again.

Happy Quilting and do let me have any stories or comments for the next edition.

 

Lyn Antill

18 Alison Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire SY6 7AT

01694 722118 lynantill@hotmail.co.uk

PS I have set up a new email account in addition to my personal one as it should be much easier for people to remember. It is projectlinusuk@hotmail.co.uk. This will continue to work even if I move again (heaven forefend!) or someone else takes over as President. The old account still works in case anyone has forgotten to update their address book.