‘Knit’ your usual fundraiser – Horndean care home residents’ woolly poppies a hit

A keen knitter at a Horndean care home has created 50 poppies to raise money for the Poppy Appeal. 

Phyllis Restall, a 92-year-old a resident at Care UK’s Pear Tree Court, on Portsmouth Road, decided to step up to the challenge after seeing a call-out for poppies for the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at her local church.

Phyllis and fellow residents 100-year-old Margaret Leigh Morgan, 83-year- old Margaret Horsted, 

64-year-old Jean Hill and 86-year-old June Taylor hand-knitted the poppies, which will be displayed during the St George’s Church’s Remembrance Day celebration in Waterlooville. The woolly poppies will then be sold, and any proceeds will also be donated to the Royal British Legion.

Phyllis said: “I believe it very important to knit poppies. The Royal British Legion do a grand job and making poppies helps us show our appreciation and raise funds for them. 

“I had great fun making poppies with my friends in the home.”

Niki Richards, Home Manager at Pear Tree Court, said: “We are so pleased Phillis and the other ladies have put their skills to good use for such a worthy cause. 

"Crafts, as well as other creative hobbies, can provide numerous therapeutic advantages for older people, particularly those with dementia, by keeping their brains busy and providing a sense of purpose. 

“For many of the residents, this time of year holds special meaning because many of them lived through the Second World War. Knitting poppies was a wonderful opportunity for Phyllis to participate in Remembrance Day traditions and it also brought back good memories of her grandmother teaching her how to crochet when she was younger.

“The team have been blown away by the talent of Phyllis and the other residents, we’re very proud of her creations - ‘wool’ done everyone!”

Phyllis was born on 22^nd October 1929 in Dorchester and worked in a torpedo factory during the war. Her grandmother taught her how to knit when she was just five years old, and Phyllis hasn’t stopped knitting since. She has created an array of clothes for local shops, including shawls and baby clothes and was approached by Butterick Patterns, the UK’S largest fabric store, to knit a bespoke jumper which was later displayed at a Bournemouth exhibition.  

Pear Tree Court is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care.  Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema and hair salon, and there is plenty of space both indoors and out for relaxation and recreation. 

To find out more about Pear Tree Court, please call Customer Relations Manager, Kate Slade, on 02392 986773 or email Kate.Slade@careuk.com.

For more general information, please visit careuk.com/pear-tree-court.