By Jed Lanyon
Palliative care patients at Healesville Hospital and Yarra Valley Health will have access to two beautiful hand-crafted quilts thanks to a kind donation the Fireside Crafters quilting group on Wednesday 25 September.
Nurse Unit Manager Christine Wittkopp said the donation is a great way to lift the spirits of the patients, their families and staff on the ward.
“It’s lovely to have the support of our local community and we are extremely grateful for their contribution,” Ms Wittkopp said.
The Fireside Crafters started as a self-help group following the Black Saturday bushfires.
The original members created the group as a way to reconnect with the community, to share their stories and recover from their own tragedy after losing everything to the bushfires.
The group meets every Wednesday at Miller’s Reserve in Yarra Glen and use donated materials for their quilts.
Member Cheryl Deighton said the group is extremely caring, and had donated quilts to various organisations over the years.
“We have sewers, knitters, weavers, spinners and embroiders – there’s a diverse range of skills amongst the group. We’ve even learnt how to do silk dying and made scarves,” Ms Deighton said.
Ms Deighton made the recommendation to donate to Healesville Hospital and Yarra Valley Health as her husband receives infusions at the hospital every 28 days as part of his cancer treatment.
“It’s fantastic to have the service so close to home, and the staff are always wonderful,” she said.
The group received support from Jennifer’s Patchwork Quilt Shop who provided the use of the industrial quilting machine free of charge.
“It really is a group effort and there are many ladies who have put in many hours of work towards these quilts, and we are really pleased to be able to support the community and local patients,” Ms Deighton said.
