A KEEN knitter is busy helping children in freezing refugee camps by making them hats, scarves and gloves – and she is urging others knitters to pick up their needles and help.
Ros Grant was shocked after seeing the conditions children in Syria, Palestine and Ukraine were living in and knew she had to do something.
The Kineton mum-of-three said: “With the winter weather upon us in the UK we are so fortunate to have warm homes to go to. I was watching the news and saw the awful conditions people are living in and felt so helpless.”
The 68 year-old, who founded charity Compassion Direct UK after visiting Argentinian shanty towns, decided to put her love of knitting to good use and help poverty-stricken youngsters.
Ros told The Observer: “I thought this campaign might be a way that many of us could do something positive and help these poor people who suffer such awful living conditions through no fault of their own.
“We cannot send donations of previously used clothes without incurring huge cleaning costs, so I thought this would be a great way to help without asking for money.”
Ros started the charity – staffed entirely by volunteers – in 2003 to help under-privileged people in poorer countries.
Recent projects have included building rainwater tanks at a school in Bolivia where the local well had run dry, and funding vegetable gardens and libraries to help people build a sustainable future.
Visit www.compassiondirectuk.org to find out more about the charity or to donate.
Hats, scarves and gloves should be sent or taken to 12 Walton Fields, Kineton, Warwick, CV35 0JP.
Kineton knitter Ros knew she had to help after seeing shocking images of children living in such tough conditions. (s)
