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By Nicole Williams
It is the Lexington Gardens Craft Group, which has been running for more than eight years, and has donated innumerable knitted goods to local and international charities.
The craft room at the Springvale retirement village is full of boxes of jumpers, head covers, scarves, comfort dolls, blankets and hats and booties for premature babies, all lovingly knitted for those in need.
Most of the goods are sent away to hospitals and charities but some are sold in the village shop for their neighbours.
Group organiser Doreen Lacey said the group’s weekly meetings could attract more than 20 knitters and were a great excuse to catch up over afternoon tea, while also helping those in need.
“We used to just knit and put the goods in the (retirement village) shop and use the money to buy more wool,” Mrs Lacey said.
“Since then it’s just taken off.”
The group started donating cancer hats to Monash Medical Centre and South Eastern Hospital when Mrs Lacey’s husband was having cancer treatment.
The group has now also sent goods to children with AIDS in South Africa and specially made comfort dolls, with dark faces, to children in Haiti after the earthquake last year.
But it is the local hospitals and Ronald McDonald House charity that are regular recipients of the knitting group’s handiwork.
“Hospital stays can be trying times for families and if we can put a smile on their faces by creating something special for them it makes it all worthwhile,” Mrs Lacey said.
“It’s very rewarding to know how much our handiwork is appreciated; we often receive wonderful recognition from the organisations we support.”
The craft group is the longest-running group in the retirement village and doesn’t intend to stop any time soon.
“The ladies just love to do craft,” said Mrs Lacey.
