Eye-catching quilts lovingly made by a group that provides them to the Ipswich branch of a women’s global volunteering organisation have been donated to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
The colourful creations were handed to Sacha Parry, Care Manager at The Treehouse, by Pat Dowding, President of the Ipswich and District branch of Soroptimist International.
There are six in total and Pat hopes they make a “positive difference” to the children receiving care from EACH.
“The quilts are beautiful and made with the most wonderful materials,” she said.
“We’re fortunate that one of our members is a quilter and was happy to accept the generosity of fellow quilters to provide us with an ongoing supply for our charities.
“We’ve donated quite a few to clients of both the (Ipswich-based) Lighthouse Women’s Aid and Suffolk Refugee Support charities.
“They’re for women and children of all ages, in refuge and also refugee families who have little to call their own.
“They give much pleasure and a sense of ownership to those living in difficult times.”
Soroptimist International aims to transform the lives of women and girls across the world and has been in existence for more than 100 years.
It has nearly 66,000 members in 121 countries, while Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland has nearly 6,000 members and over 250 clubs.
The mission is to educate, empower and enable opportunities for women and girls.
At local level, the Ipswich and District branch supports charities and organisations with donations, bursaries and activities.
“We typically have some quilts available for when there is demand and are regularly supplied with more by the quilting group,” added Pat.
“Myself and another member both had the idea that it would be fitting to hand some to EACH. Hopefully we’ll be able to do this again in the future.
“We don’t have a personal connection but have total admiration for the work it does, caring for children and supporting their families.
“Hopefully these quilts bring some pleasure and joy, make a positive difference and show that people genuinely care and want to help.”
For more information about the Ipswich and District branch of Soroptimist International, go to https://sigbi.org/ipswich-and-district