A small army of knitters have taken up their needles in a bid to help impoverished families in Aberdeen.
For the past three weeks, people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities have been working to bolster AberNecessities’ clothing supplies.
They have knitted hats, baby blankets and mittens for children in need across the north-east.
The AberNecessities charity was launched last month by Danielle Fletcher-Horne but the knitting group – which will meet every Wednesday in the city’s Central Library – is the idea of volunteer Emma Leaper.
Mrs Fletcher-Horne, of Kingswells, was inspired to establish the charity by her work as a teacher with Aberdeen City Council’s specialist early intervention team.
The 31-year-old said: “Due to the current turbulent atmosphere caused by the oil downturn, there a lot of people in the city who never thought they would plunge into poverty, but have done so.
“Meeting parents and pupils going through poverty has been a real eye-opener for me, and it is something affecting far more people than most of us realise.
“The charity is still in its early days, but has been a fantastic success so far.
“Volunteers have been tremendous and there already is a great sense of camaraderie.”
Abernecessities supports underprivileged families in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire by providing them with the essential items such as nappies, clothing and children’s toiletries.
Mrs Fletcher Horne said the knitting group had already proved a great success.
“At our first session we had a two-year-old girl, her mother and an elderly lady all sat in one corner working hard,” she said.
“People of all backgrounds have been putting in so much effort into this, it has been wonderful to see.
“It is very flexible – you don’t need to come along every Wednesday.
“Some participants do it from home, or just donate wool rather than their time.
“It’s all very easy – and important for the wider cause of making these families’ lives easier.”
The AberNecessities Knitting group meets once a week at Aberdeen Central Library from 6-7.45pm.
Everyone is welcome to come along and knit or crochet, including beginners, as there are advanced knitters that will gladly help.
Coffee and tea will be provided for a 50p donation which will go to the purchase of the tea and coffee as well and knitting supplies.
For those that drive, the Denburn car park is free after 5pm.
To find out more visit www.facebook.com/AberNecessities.
