Sheila’s one of around 20 women attending today’s knitting club, run by Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow & Brent.
“I’m the pompom expert,” she reveals, winding a yarn of wool up into a perfect sphere. “People don’t like making them, but I do. So they get brought to me!”
Taking place every Thursday in a local community centre, the group is open to anyone who’s interested in knitting and nattering. Many of the attendees also choose to use their crafting skills for a good cause.
“Today I’m knitting for the Age UK innocent Big Knit campaign, where we make little hats to go top of bottles of innocent juices,” Sheila explains. “For each hat sold, Age UK gets 30p from innocent to help fund everything they’re doing for older people.”
The impact of these little hats has been enormous. “Last year, the group’s attendees knitted at least 4,000 hats for the Big Knit,” says Purvy, who’s Marketing and Communications Manager at Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow & Brent. “And this year we’re hoping to knit even more!”
Knitting wool, keeping well
While the group’s attendees often knit to support campaigns and help other people, there are plenty of wellbeing benefits woven in too.
“It’s an opportunity to get out of the house,” says Purvy. “Sometimes, when attendees come in, they can be a bit quiet, but then they see a few different faces, have a chat and it perks them up.
“A lot of the group are also fiercely independent, but some are not very mobile. Knitting is something they can still do. I’ve seen how it can keep their minds fit by keeping their fingers moving.”
Sheila’s aware of the impact that the club has had on her mental and physical health. “I find knitting therapeutic. I’ve got a couple of health conditions where I need to keep calm, and this is how I do it. It’s nice to sit somewhere warm, have a good chat and find out what’s going on in the world.”
When you get older, you can feel discarded in a way. So, I think it’s important to have groups like this to keep that sense of belonging.
A rich tapestry
Making sure that everyone has a place to talk, and that each attendee feels part of a friendly community, is the thread that ties this group together. “We enjoy each other’s company,” explains Rasheeda, who has been running the group for the past 12 years. “I encourage other ladies to come along – and once they do, they're hooked!”
Sheila agrees. “When you get older, you can feel discarded in a way,” she says. “So, I think it’s important to have groups like this to keep that sense of belonging.”
The diversity of the attendees’ backgrounds is, for many of the group’s regular visitors, part of what makes the knitting club special. “I’m Persian, my first language is Farsi, and I’ve been in this country about 25 years,” says Parvin, who has been coming to the knitting group for more than a decade. “But around me in the group, everyone speaks lots of different languages – like Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati. Some things I understand, some things I don’t – but mostly we’re all talking about knitting!”
Life can be full of pain. But when our minds get busy and we talk and laugh, we forget about it a little.
Making do and mending
The bonds between women in the knitting group often become strong and enduring friendships. Every time Parvin attends a meet-up, she can’t help but think of her good friend Anne, who was also a regular attendee.
“She was very special to me, and very, very kind,” says Parvin. “She came here every Thursday, and everything she did at home or here was for charity. Anytime she came across a baby in the street who didn’t have warm clothes, she’d tell the parent to come by her house the next day to pick up something she’d knitted.
“But she had leukaemia and was fragile. She never said no to people who needed her help, and I didn’t want her to get overwhelmed.”
Since Anne’s death, Parvin has felt her loss keenly. “Coming to the group really helps me,” she says. “Life can be full of pain. It’s not easy – for anyone, not just for me. But when we come out of our houses, we leave some pain behind, and when our minds get busy and we talk and laugh, we forget about it a little.”
As well as turning to the group for support, Parvin has found comfort in working with Anne’s family to carry on her legacy.
“This is Anne’s wool,” she says, holding up a ball of pale pink yarn. “And I’ve been speaking with her daughter to bring all the knits she didn’t finish here, so we can complete them. Anne was full of generosity and kindness, and I learned a lot of things from her. I want to continue her work.”
Get knitting
Reap the wellbeing benefits of knitting in a group near you, or join our Big Knit campaign to help change lives.
