Hat’s the way to do it!

In July last year we asked colleagues to help provide the NHS with as many mini woolly hats as they could muster to help midwives across the country keep newborn babies out of special care.

The ask was for all you delightful darners out there to knit the ground running but boy, did you deliver! At the last count, our splendid spinners had produced a truly yarn-tastic 15,000 hats and counting, helping to ensure as many newborn babies as possible are kept warm straight after birth.

The woolly hat care bundle initiative was launched in a bid to cut unnecessary special care baby unit (SCBU) admissions as too many babies were being admitted to SCBU units after becoming cold.

Hospitals across the country introduced a traffic light-themed system of red, amber and green to assist midwives in ensuring that babies and new mothers are best supported in the first few days of life. For example, babies will receive a red hat if they have been born prematurely, amber for those who have endured a difficult labour, and green for babies deemed to be at the lowest risk.

We asked all our knowledgeable knitters to send their creations to charity and community champion, Tim Hyde at Medway Mail Centre, and boy, did you deliver! But no-one more so than our champion crocheting colleagues at Stoke MDEC who have so far sent Tim a staggering 350 (and counting) baby hats.

Charity and community champion, Tim Hyde from Medway Mail Centre, said: ‘We’ve had a huge response from the many colleagues who are in knitting groups across the country with so many amazing contributors. Special thanks must go to Jane Copeland and her team in Belfast, Nicola Peel, Paul Wilson and the team in Leeds, Brenda Hart and the Bedford rurals, Elin Henshaw and all her crocheting colleagues at Stoke MDEC as well as all the hats we’ve received from residential homes in Nottingham and Borden, and church groups in Warrington.

‘I feel it really shows how community-spirited our people are when asked, and it’s very inspiring to see how so many colleagues have reacted to an appeal for something as simple as this. It really makes you feel proud to be part of such a great team. It’s awesome.’

Early shift support Nicola Peel from Leeds Mail Centre, said: ‘Postwoman, Keeley Brown in our team saw a poster asking for baby hats and asked me for a pattern as her mum is a knitter. Her mum has now made an amazing 200 hats single-handedly and she’s still going! She can make up to 10 a night just while watching TV - she’s doing a fantastic job! Leeds has a great bunch of people willing to help out and we’ll continue to help as long as the hats are needed.’

‘After I placed a notice on our weekly team brief asking if anyone would like to knit some hats, a few of our ladies took part and one colleague’s wife took it to her WI group,’ said Bedford postwoman, Brenda Hart. ‘Another colleague in the Bletchley area gave the sewing pattern to her family and friends, and things just escalated from there.

‘The WI have written an article in their newsletter which covers the Bedfordshire area so I’m expecting more hats. My local sewing group have also taken part. So far, all of us have made a fantastic 1,450 hats, but I know there are more to come! I have to say I am so overwhelmed and proud of our contribution from the Bedford Rurals!’

If you would like to show off your purling prowess and help keep someone’s little one warm, click here to download your baby hat crochet instructions, courtesy of automation engineer, Siobhan Burns, from Chelmsford Mail Centre.

Please send your hats to Tim Hyde at the below address:

Medway Mail Centre
Knight Road
Strood, Kent
ME2 2EE 

You can also download our baby hat posters by clicking here. Please print them off and display them in your units. Thank you for your help. No baby should be going to special care because they are cold.