On 23 March 2020, Boris Johnson announced that the UK was entering lockdown as COVID 19 began to spread across our country. Schools closed, and people were asked to stay at home and leave only for essential shopping, to get medical supplies or to travel to work if they couldn’t work from home. This meant we were also unable to see our family and friends.
When this was announced, I wondered how I would pass my time at home. Usually, I go to my keep-fit classes, meet my friends and help look after my grandchildren. I began to focus my time reading religious books, meditating in the mornings and listening to live Swadhays (lectures), from my Guru.
On 4 April, I came across an article on BBC News where Laura Kirby-Deacon, a nurse from the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, was requesting small handcrafted knitted hearts. The hearts would be used as a token of comfort to families of patients who had not been able to see their loved ones who had sadly died from COVID 19. One crochet heart would be placed in the coffin of the patient, and one crochet heart would be sent to the patients next of kin.
I was touched by Laura’s request and wanted to help in any way I could during these difficult times. I have knitted more than 400 hearts in various different colours.
I feel blessed to have had the chance to help those who have been affected.
May Almighty bless the soul of those who have sadly passed away. Our prayers are with the families of loved ones who have been lost.
I have also crochet extensions masks band which are made to help protect the ears from chafing when wearing a mask. This band has buttons on the side to hold ear hoops so they don’t tug on ears.
This was my other project to make mask helpers for personal use. I have made a bunch of these bands for key workers & nurses at Northwick Park Hospital.
Article by Suni Mahendra Shah
