On this day: Prestatyn knitters send bedding to Tanzania

Volunteers from the Melyd Crafty Fingers group and the Salford Children’s Holiday Camp repurposed 80 sets of cotton bedding to send to the Hope Orphanage in Tanzania.

The crafty ladies met weekly at the camp's community café and supported over 21 charitable causes, including the orphanage.

Gill Smith, a volunteer at the camp, shared her connection with Beryl Davies from Melyd Crafty Fingers, stating: "I have known Beryl Davies from Melyd Crafty Fingers since the group started coming to the Community Café on Wednesday afternoons."

She explained how she discovered that a quantity of older bedding was no longer used on the site and realised it could be beneficial for the orphanage.

"As Beryl said, 'it is not too long ago that the children didn’t have beds, never mind bedding’," she added.

The Hope Orphanage, located in the Arusha region, is a voluntary organisation that primarily cares for children with learning disabilities and albinism.

Albino children are particularly vulnerable in Tanzania, as they are often viewed as ‘ghost’ children due to their appearance.

Tragically, their body parts are highly valued in traditional witchcraft, leading to many being harmed.

Mrs Davies emphasised the group's commitment, saying: "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."

She also mentioned their efforts to send over 20 sewing machines to help the girls make their own clothes, adding, "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, residents were encouraged to visit the 'Salford Children's Holiday Camp' and 'Melyd Crafty Fingers and Friends' pages on Facebook.

This article was first published in the Rhyl Journal on March 19, 2020.