The regular knitting circle at Valley Lodge Care Home, on Bakewell Road, were joined by other residents, staff and family members over several weeks to produce individual woollen squares which have been combined into the centrepiece of their decorations, complete with crackers, snowflakes, bows and baubles.
Activities coordinator Sarah Simmonite said: “When I said to the ladies and gents that we were going to knit a Christmas tree I got some funny looks but they quickly got to work and it’s ended up a lot bigger than expected.
“Every Tuesday we’ve had a core group of five or six for the knitting circle, but sometimes as many as 15, and we sit and have a chat while we knit and come up with ideas for the tree. Some of the ladies have been making extra squares in their own time and those who can’t knit have been helping out making pom-poms.”
She added: “Now it’s up, all the residents think it’s absolutely wonderful. They’re really proud of it. It’s lovely how they all came together with their own ideas to create it the way they wanted, rather than just copying a picture off the internet. It’s really created a sense of community with everyone collaborating.”
Resident Maureen said: “It was very hard work and well worth it. It brought lots of the residents together and we had a very happy time doing it.”
Fellow knitter Mary added: “It was lovely to mix with others every week. It was a nice little get together.”
The tree is an evolution of the group’s big project from last year, creating blankets for people nearing the end of life. This time, they want to comfort people at the start of life
Sarah said: “One of the staff here has a sister working in the neonatal unit at Royal Derby Hospital, so when the tree comes down the squares will be knitted into blankets and sent there.”
The tree is one of many up around the home, creating a festive atmosphere for the weekend’s Christmas fair and a busy month of visits from local schools and choirs.
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