22nd September 2022
Sanctuary Supported Living
A resident at a Cambridgeshire retirement community has knitted a range of expertly crafted soft toys to comfort local children who have been involved in accidents and traumatic situations.
Resident knitter, Lynda James, has been busy stitching and personally delivering the ‘trauma teddies’ from her home at Baird Lodge in Ely with the help of her carers.
The teddies have been given to ambulance vans, police stations and doctors’ surgeries in and around the cathedral city of Ely. The idea behind the mini project is for frontline staff and health professionals to have the cuddly friends on standby for emotionally distressed children and adults with learning disabilities who need some extra comfort.
Lynda, who has been knitting since her twenties, said, “I have always found knitting very calming and it really helps alleviate stress. I first found out about the trauma teddies when I lived in Wales, so I suggested making more bears for the same cause when we were donated some spare materials for our weekly ‘Knit and Natter’ group.”
Jennie, who works as a Wellbeing and Inclusion Assistant at Baird Lodge, added, “After seeing Lynda’s wonderful bear collection come together, we are hoping to introduce this as an annual group project and have offered our other knitters the pattern for this worthwhile teddy. Our next project will be knitting poppies for Remembrance Day, which receives a fantastic response every year!”
Sanctuary Supported Living’s Baird Lodge encourages residents to continue to enjoy their existing hobbies and develop new ones through the Wellbeing and Inclusion team who focus on bringing retirement communities to life through social activities and events.
Designed to offer comfort, independence and peace of mind, Baird Lodge provides apartments and communal facilities for over 55s - everything you need to enjoy a happy, fulfilling retirement.
