PRESTATYN knitters and a children's camp have banded together to aid East African orphans.
Volunteers from the Melyd Crafty Fingers group and the Salford Children’s Holiday Camp have repurposed 80 sets of cotton bedding to send to the Hope Orphanage in Tanzania.
The group of crafty ladies meet at the camp's community cafe weekly, and support more than 21 charitable causes including the orphanage.
Gill Smith and Beryl Davies with their haul
Gill Smith, a volunteer at the camp, said: "I have known Beryl Davies from Melyd Crafty Fingers since the group started coming to the Community Café on Wednesday afternoons.
"I had found out that a quantity of older bedding was no longer used on the site and when I realised that it might be thrown away, I knew that the orphanage in Tanzania could probably make good use of the fabric.
"As Beryl said, 'it is not too long ago that the children didn’t have beds, never mind bedding’."
The orphanage, one of four that the group support, is in the Arusha region of the country, and is a voluntary organisation that mainly cares for children with learning disabilities and albinism.
Albino children are particularly vulnerable in Tanzania as they are believed to be ‘ghost’ children due to their pale skin, hair and light-coloured eyes. The body parts of albino children are highly valued in traditional witchcraft and many children are maimed to support the practice.
Mrs Davies said; "Our main cause is the orphanage, and we also find items that they need there such as sun glasses, reading glasses and sun creams as cancer is very common due to the suns rays. and many are blind due to Albinism.
"We have also sent over 20 sewing machines that people gave to us to Africa to help the girls make their own clothes.
"There is a photo of Joseph the man who runs the orphanage with some of the bedding.and some of the children. The smile on his face says it all."
For more information on both groups, visit the 'Salford Children's Holiday Camp' and 'Melyd Crafty Fingers and Friends' pages on Facebook.
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