A GROUP of friends has knitted 150 hats for premature babies.

The elderly residents at Woodlands House care home get together every Wednesday for a ‘knit and natter’.

The groups have spent weeks putting their skills to good use for the newborns at Princess Anne’s hospital.

The multicoloured hats have been lovingly hand-knitted to make sure they are the correct size for premature babies.

And some of the knitted hats have a gap to ensure any tubes or equipment can still be used without the hat being in the way.

The neonatal intensive care unit at Princess Anne Hospital provides specialist care to sick term premature newborn

babies.

As one of the largest neonatal units in the country they treat around 900 babies a year, from across the south and the Channel Islands.

Carer at Woodlands House Jane Edwards runs the sessions and said: “I found patterns that the resident would like and I sit with them and we all knit together while having a chat and a giggle. Some of our residents may struggle with their eye sight or movement in their hands so I made the knitting task very simple and achievable.

“Our residents love to participate because it gives them a goal to know they are making a difference to little ones who need a nice warm hat and that is an encouraging thought. The success of this project, breeds confidence and we are knitting other items that will be given to police so they can distribute them to distressed children.”