Letterkenny Hospital Need People To Knit Hats And Blankets For Newborns

There's not many positive stories coming out of hospitals at the moment. Up in Letterkenny, they've got it as bad as anyone.

But that's not stopped the community coming together for one of the absolute cutest things we've seen in years: they've started a campaign to knit hats and blankets for babies that are born prematurely at Letterkenny University Hospital.

The appeal is being lead by the Donegal Volunteer Centre, and they have started an online sign up to help people get involved. You can see the link here.

"The DVC are seeking volunteers to help with making hats/blankets for premature babies in the Maternity Unit of Letterkenny University Hospital," it reads.

"Patterns and info will be provided, once the hats/blankets are completed collection will be arranged to allow for safe delivery to the Maternity Unit."

"Kindly note the materials used for knitting/crocheting must be able to undergo a 60-degree wash, cotton is recommended."

"Colourful hats and blankets are encouraged but kindly avoid using yellow and green as those colours tend to make sick children look sicker."

One champion of the movement has been Granny Fenny, a Donegal granny who has been knitting all the way through lockdown to make sure that the babies of Letterkenny will have something to keep their wee heads warm through the winter.

The 87-year-old, whose real name is Mary McBride, is the mother of a woman who works at the hospital and was alerted to the need for hats by her grandson, who was working at a neonatal unit in Dublin.

Since then, the Downings granny has been churning them out for Letterkenny hospital and hopes to move onto knitting blankets for the local nursing home in the near future.

We're pretty known for being a twee old bunch here in Ireland, but this is about as heart-warming as it gets. Mine is absolutely melting.

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Topics: Ireland

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]