MEMBERS of Women's Institute groups in Thurrock and Essex Freemasons have got together with a local charity, 'Get Started Art', and the Stifford Clays Health Practice PPG (Patient Participation Group) to provide knitted toys and clothes for a Basildon based charity 'Colourful Beginnings'.  

Around 60,000 babies are born prematurely every year in the UK. This means that one in every 13 babies is born before 37 weeks. At Colourful Beginnings, they support families with premature and sick babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) all over the UK.

The Freemasons, based at Cross Keys Masonic Centre in Chadwell St Mary, and Get Started Art raised enough to purchase a huge amount of wool, crochet and knitting needles and other materials necessary to knit Octopus and Jelly Fish comforters, baby bonnets and blankets.  

At their regular arts and crafts workshops the WI and Stifford Clays PPG have used the materials to knit and crochet hundreds of the much-needed toys and bonnets.

When premature babies are born, the weight of most of them is around 500g (that's half a bag of sugar) because premature babies' systems are not fully developed. Feeling the closeness of parents has a significant effect on babies' recovery and growth.

However, many parents are not able to hold their babies close in some cases as they are so tiny.

That's where the octopus comforters help. Babies hold the tentacles of their little friend, which helps to keep them calm, because the octopus tentacles resemble the umbilical cord while baby is in the womb.

Sue Leech and Knitted Octopus Comforters, Clothes and Bonnets.

The knitted octopuses also serve a dual purpose whilst the babies are in NICU as they also take comfort in holding the octopus tentacles instead of pulling those life-saving tubes and cables out.

David Barton of Cross Keys Masonic Centre and Get Started Art explained: "This is an important initiative which can make such a huge difference to all the families that need some support at such a difficult time.

Special thanks go to Sue Leech of the WI and Viv Crouch at Stifford Clays PPG for helping make this project so successful."  

WI members Sue and Maggie with david Barton.

Viv added: "Our PPG knitters are always ready to help a charity."

There are around 8,000 Essex Freemasons at 27 Masonic Centres across Essex who between them raise on average £1 million a year to help local good causes and charities such as Colourful Beginnings.