A handmade blanket can do a lot in a hospital ward, and Eliz Sandalls has now made 100 of them.
Sandalls, from Ilkley in England, recently delivered her 100th “wellbeing blanket” to the maternity unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary, according to the NHS.
Hospital staff said her colourful blankets have become treasured gifts for new mothers and babies.
Sandalls is registered blind. She lost sight in her right eye in 1987 and later developed serious problems with the vision in her left eye.
In 2023, surgeons at Bradford Royal Infirmary carried out an operation that preserved some sight in her left eye, allowing her to keep crocheting.
“While my vision is still limited, it allows me to continue with my crocheting and I am forever grateful to the BRI and surgeon, Helen Devonport, for saving some of my sight,” Sandalls told the NHS.
Midwives Sophie Wainman and Katie Hurley recently visited Sandalls at Abbeydale Residential Care Home, where she lives, to thank her for the donations.
They brought her a hamper of treats and spent more than an hour talking with her.
“Every time we get a donation of crocheted blankets from Eliz we are astonished at the craftsmanship,” Wainman said.
“The mums on our maternity wards are absolutely delighted to receive the blankets as they brighten the babies’ cots, as well as our hospital wards and environment. They bring such a personal touch and we are forever grateful to Eliz for her donations.”
Sandalls is originally from Bourne End in Buckinghamshire and moved to Ilkley in 2021 to be closer to her daughter after her husband died.
She said crocheting had become an important part of her life.
“Crocheting gives me something to do as I can’t see to read books and talking books tend to send me to sleep,” she said.
Each blanket measures about 60 centimetres square and takes nearly three days to make by hand.
Abbeydale Residential Care Home helps pay for some of the wool, and Sandalls buys the rest herself during trips into town.
Each finished blanket is packaged before being delivered to the maternity ward.
“I get so much satisfaction knowing the blankets are going to good homes,” Sandalls said.
“They are comfort blankets for little people because babies are not babies for long.”
She said the project also brought her joy because she never had grandchildren of her own.
“I really do believe if you don’t use it, you lose it,” she said.
“I intend to carry on crocheting the wellbeing blankets for a long time to come. It’s so lovely to give something back to the hospital and to the babies.”
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