Teenage mums get knitting for Save the Children » Housing » 24dash.com

Teenage mums in Nottingham have been busy knitting hats to help babies at risk of pneumonia around the world.

Five residents from Family First’s Mayholme Teenage Parent Accommodation  decided to get out the knitting needles to help the Save the Children ‘Knit One, Save One’ campaign.

They have now donated 24 hats to the cause. The hats will be sent out to vulnerable babies in Asia and Africa, including Tibet, Zimbabwe and Kenya, where there are high numbers of newborn deaths.

Knitting a hat for newborn babies can help save their lives as they can't yet regulate their own body temperature. Babies lose lots of vital body heat through their heads which make them more prone to pneumonia - a disease which tragically still kills around 2 million children each year.

Lisa Ash, Children and Young Peoples Manager at Family First said: “One of the residents heard about the campaign and wanted to help so the group got together and started knitting. 

“It is not something the residents normally do and most of them had never even tried to knit before. But they were motivated to learn because it is such a good cause and they really enjoyed it once they got the hang of it.”

Mayholme provides housing and support for vulnerable parents and parents-to-be, aged 16-20, in Nottingham.

It has 11 furnished bedsits, a lounge with a soft play area and newly landscaped gardens which include accessible pathways, a children’s play area and sandpit, a sensory area, barbeque, and vegetable patch.

The scheme is run by charity Family First, part of the LHA-ASRA Group, which also offers affordable housing, childcare, support for young people with mental health needs and a furniture recycling service.

Family First collects and recycles unwanted furniture to redistribute to people in need. Donations of good quality household items are always welcome.

To arrange a collection of furniture call freephone 0800 013 0497.