HEALTH Staff Relaunch Comforting Knitted Heart Campaign

DOCTORS and nurses battling to save lives on the pandemic frontline are again asking people to knit hearts to offer comfort to bereaved families.

Local communities are being urged to pick up their knitting needles and crotchet hooks to support the ‘From the Heart’ campaign.

Last April, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde staff appealed for pairs of small, knitted hearts to be made — one was offered to families, with a matching one remaining with their deceased relative in the hope it would allow people to feel more connected to their love-one who had recently died.

The campaign was well received and, with hospitals now busier than during the first wave, the call has gone out again.

Dr Margaret McGuire, board nurse director, said: “Sadly we are facing another peak in this pandemic and this is one small way in which we can try and ensure that our patients and residents and their loved ones can still feel connected.

“The pandemic has brought many symbols of compassion, such as brightly painted rainbows and the Thursday night applause, but there is nothing more symbolic than a heart and we hope that the public feel that by knitting them for our very sick patients and residents and those who have sadly died and their families, they too are playing their part in fighting this terrible pandemic with us.”

Knitters are asked to use clean wool and to deliver the hearts in re-sealable plastic bags with the date clearly written on them. This is so staff can allow 72 hours before the hearts can be used. | Click for pattern

Dr McGuire added: “We hope that offering families a small knitted heart will be a small comfort to them during a difficult time and we are asking that knitters across NHSGGC will support us to be able to offer this small but compassionate token from the heart.”

Hearts should be sent, with the knitter’s name and email address or postal address, to: ‘From the Heart’ campaign, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, JB Russell House, Gartnavel Royal site, 1055 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0XH.