- Volunteer's name: Pat Poole
- Current role: Blanket knitter for Sands’ memory boxes
Pat knitted her first blankets for Sands’ memory boxes in 2014. She was first asked by her daughter to knit blankets as her friend’s baby had died, and she was given a Sands memory box which she cherishes.
Pat brought the blankets to the Sands office in London and everybody was very grateful which is why she decided to continue knitting.
Since then Pat has knitted and crocheted over 300 blankets. She also encourages her friends to pick up their knitting needles to make blankets. Pat has also kindly provided the charity with two crochet patterns for other knitters to use.
The vital work that Pat carries out hasn’t gone unnoticed and she was invited to Sands’ annual conference last year to share in person her hopes for the future, where Sands can continue to help and support bereaved families and anyone affected by the death of a baby.
Pat has been nominated as one of our 40 amazing volunteers and has been invited to Sands 40th Anniversary Conference on 17th November 2018. If you'd like to meet Pat in person, join the conference here.
The motivation for Pat is her family and friends who are very supportive of her work, but knowing how valuable the blankets are to bereaved parents gives her the inspiration to carry on.
Pat said: “I am pleased that I started knitting blankets for Sands. I realise now how important the blankets in the memory boxes are for parents, together with the help and assistance that Sands staff give to them at a very sad time in their lives.”
Sands is marking its 40th anniversary this year and we would like to say thank you for the incredible support and contribution that our dedicated volunteers make across the UK to support bereaved parents and anyone affected by the death of a baby.
We will be hosting an awards ceremony during the Sands 40th Anniversary Conference to celebrate the wide range of volunteering involvement in Sands and acknowledge 40 volunteers for their dedication and commitment.