Hats off to the Ukraine
THE campaign to collect knitted items for newborn babies in Ukraine has now received 5,000 hats, mittens, booties, blankets, toys and other items.
Set up by Lilita Kruze, Guernsey’s Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia, in March, the Newborn Baby Hat Appeal has so far sent 28 boxes containing 4,730 items to Poland for distribution to Ukraine.
This week marked three months since Russia invaded Ukraine and with no sign of the conflict ending, Ms Kruze said that her campaign would continue.
‘I am really proud of the success of our team and would like to say “thank you” to all involved,’ she said.
The items are collected at seven island sites – the parish churches of St Andrew’s, Vale, St Saviour’s and Castel plus St Matthew’s Church at Cobo and the Waitrose stores at Rohais and Admiral Park.
Ms Kruze said she and one of her team drive around collecting them every week before taking photos of them all to post on the campaign’s Facebook page.
They are then boxed up and taken to Guernsey Post, which sends them free of charge to Poland.
Her original idea was to knit 20 things herself to support Ukrainian infants. ‘It was my idea, but the Guernsey people took it forward,’ she said.
‘I’m very grateful. People are just fantastic.’
