Knitting scheme to fight cancer

From Wakefield Express, Date: 28 August 2009

KNIT one, pearl one and create a comfort blanket to raise awareness for a leading cancer charity.
Macmillan Cancer Support is asking for Wakefield’s knitters to pick up their needles and create anything from a single patchwork square to a full blanket.

Blankets that are donated to Macmillan will be used to support and raise awareness of the charity’s campaign to freeze out fuel poverty for cancer patients.

Maria Amos, Macmillan fundraising manager for Wakefield, said: “People undergoing cancer treatment have to spend more time at home as they’re often too ill to work.

“They feel the cold more because their immune system is weakened and they need more heating so their fuel bills are higher – and at a time when their household income plummets. They’re trapped.

“It’s a vicious circle and that’s why it’s so important to freeze out fuel poverty for cancer patients.”

Contact www.macmillan.org.uk/theknitter

Knitting is good for your memory!

Hobbies like knitting and patchwork have been found to reduce the risk of memory impairment. This is according to a study of around 200 people (aged 70-89) at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

We all know about crosswords, soduku and 'Brain Training' being good for memory skills but knitting is possibly not something we would expect to be as effective. The test cases were asked about their daily activities during the past year and during middle age. Those who had been busy reading, knitting, patchworking or playing games were found to have reduced their risk of memory impairment by 40%.



According to the Alzheimers Society:
"One million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years so there is a desperate need to find ways to prevent dementia"

If knitting has already been shown to reduce stress, so now its proven to help with our memory, lets keep knitting and turn off the TV!



For the full BBC News article, click here.