Community Comes Together to Support Queen’s and King George Hospital Palliative Care Teams

A wave of community spirit has swept across Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and beyond, as knitters and crocheters join forces to support the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust’s Palliative Care teams.

Local crafters have been creating pairs of knitted and crocheted hearts, angels, and butterflies as keepsakes for patients and their families — small tokens of comfort and love during emotionally challenging times.

The initiative, led by Jon Gildersleeve, working together with Macmillan Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Tracy Wells, has seen an incredible response from crafters of all ages across the UK. Pattern designer Marion Leys, owner of Marianna’s LazyDaisyDays Designs, has supported the project by generously providing free patterns and online help for anyone with knitting or crochet questions.

This project has shown that crafting has no age limit — from two local schoolgirls to 94-year-old Madge Giles, the community has come together to make a difference.

Young Crafters Share Their Stories

Lily Ambridge-Mynard, age 12, shared:
“I’m making small crochet hearts and butterflies to give to people in palliative care at my local hospital. I believe even a tiny gift made with love can bring comfort to someone who is going through a really hard time. I hope that when they hold a heart or see a butterfly, they feel cared for and not alone. These are just little things, but I want them to show big love.”

Kaya Marisa Shah, age 11, added:
“I decided to crochet these little butterflies because I wanted to do something special and kind for people in palliative care. To me, butterflies are a sign of peace, and I hope they bring a little comfort to those who need it most. Each butterfly is made with love to show that someone is thinking of them and cares. I’m very grateful to Jon Gildersleeve for giving me the opportunity to support the community.”

Crafting Across Generations

94-year-old Madge Giles has also contributed her skills and compassion:
“Now in her nineties, Madge can no longer do as much walking, so she’s delighted to spend her time knitting for good causes. She’s grateful for her good health and loves to help others — having already knitted countless baby hats, bonding squares, and hearts for the baby unit at Queen’s. She’s now turned her hands to angels for the palliative unit, saying that knitting keeps her hands moving and her heart full.”

A Message of Thanks from Queen’s Hospital

Heather Wright, Lead Nurse for Palliative and End of Life Care at BHRUT, sent a heartfelt message to the community:
“We can’t thank you enough for your incredible support with the Palliative Care Heart, Angel and Butterflies Appeal. Your kindness, along with your amazing army of knitters and crocheters, has truly blown us away.
The hearts, angels, and positive potatoes have been a wonderful hit with our team. We are genuinely looking forward to sharing these beautiful creations with our patients who are navigating emotionally challenging times.
You are all absolute stars, and it’s clear that your hearts are truly in the right place.
A big, heartfelt thank you from everyone in the Palliative and End of Life Care team at BHRUT.”

Join the Knitting and Crochet Community

If you enjoy knitting or crocheting and would like to make donations for Queen’s Hospital, Romford, we’d love for you to join our brand-new Facebook group:
👉 Click here to join the group

Our group is supported by Marion Leys, the talented pattern designer and owner of Marianna’s Lazy Daisy Days. Marion is kindly offering free pattern links and helpful advice to anyone making items for our appeals.

Come and be part of a warm, creative community making a real difference — one stitch at a time!

Stay up to date with all of our latest updates and content by following us on our social media accounts!

We have created community pages where we will share our up-to-date stories happening in the area. Add the area closest to where you live.