Two industrious residents at Penrhos Polish Village, Gwynedd, are using knitting as a force for good!
Pauline Marchant and her son Stephen, moved into Penrhos Polish Village, near Pwllheli almost three years ago. A natural organiser, Pauline has a love of keeping herself busy and a passion for craft.
Stephen, who is recovering from a life-threatening stroke, was keen to find an interest which would capture his attention and be possible to complete using only his right side. After exploring a variety of hobbies, Pauline hit upon the idea of a simple, hand cranked circular knitting machine.
With a bit of practice, Stephen and Pauline have mastered knitting a fabulous selection of hats. Pauline casts on, Stephen does the knitting and Pauline removes the work, before finishing the hats off and readying them for donation.
The hardworking pair have already crafted hundreds of hats, all of which have been donated to a variety of good causes.
Explained Pauline: “We started knitting the hats and selling them in the village hall so we could donate the money to a cancer charity.
“Then we were told about the opportunity to knit for Stella Maris, a charity for seafarers and fishermen. So we started to make hats for them too, which are distributed via our local church, St Joseph’s in Pwllheli.
“More recently we also started to make hats to donate to the St David’s Hospice Shop in Pwllheli to sell in the store. So we have quite a few outlets now!”
Both Pauline and Stephen enjoy the hat-making process and have been instrumental in the creation of a fully stocked craft room at Penrhos Polish Village, where residents often join them to do art, colouring, knitting, crochet and a variety of other creative pursuits.
“Pauline and Stephen have spent countless hours knitting beautiful hats for a variety of good causes!” said Michal Drewenski, manager at Penrhos Polish Village. “They’re very inspiring and we are incredibly proud of them. It’s not just about the hats; it’s about spreading warmth and creating a sense of community.”
Penrhos Polish Village, owned by ClwydAlyn, is part of a major development project to bring more affordable homes to the area.
