Motivated by the great work of the Derry Square Knitters, we started Knitting Together: Maghera to do something to help refugee children living under dreadful conditions in camps in Greece.
Aideen Hughes from Derry, told us that the Square Knitters were inspired to start the work after seeing the heart-breaking picture of little Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy, lying on a beach in Turkey. He drowned, together with his mother and brother, as his family had tried to escape persecution.
Your response to the appeal has been overwhelming and we thank everyone who has contributed. In October we sent our first delivery to Derry to be shipped out to Greece. Since then, there have been difficulties due to Brexit and Covid restrictions but we are continuing to accept material and we will get it all to the camps towards the end of the summer. We are in contact with an Irish nurse working in the Moira camp in Greece. She describes a situation where people are living in basic tents with no running water and where there are over five-hundred pregnant women trying to cope under these impossible conditions.
Already the Square Knitters have sent out well over 1,000 blankets. To keep the work going, we ask people to knit six-inch squares from left-over wool to be joined up to make blankets. If you would like to make finished blankets that would be great too. The squares and blankets can be dropped in to us at The Hearth, 11 Main Street Maghera. We can be contacted at 028 796 42677 or email us at info@maghera-heritage.org.uk.
Here are some photos of the donations we have received so far. Thank you everyone!
