Knitted chicks and bunnies help raise money for Medway hospital

WATCH: ITV Meridian reporter Tom Savvides meets some knitters making items for Easter

A hospital is appealing to knitters of all ages to put their needles and wool to good use by getting involved with its Easter fundraising campaign.

The Medway Hospital Charity helps raise vital funds for Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent.

Among those getting out their knitting needles to create chicks, daffodils, ducks and mini egg baskets is a group that meet once a week at St Matthew's Church in nearby Wigmore.

June Laming, 93, has been knitting since she was at school, and revealed it wasn't just a pastime for the girls.

She said: "When I was young in the junior school in the country, as it was then, we used to go and collect sheep's wool from the hedges, spin and dye it, and the boys would knit with it. They learnt to knit."

The group's chicks, bunnies and other woolly items are sold and the proceeds go towards equipment not directly paid for by the NHS. 

In the past, charity appeals have partly funded projects like a gym and a dementia therapy garden. 

Cheryl Jones, from the Medway Hospital Charity, said: "Some of our fund-raising events per year reach over £10,000. Our knitting appeal previously has raised a good £2,000."

The sessions were set up by the Mayor of Medway Jan Aldous - and they're not just about knitting.

She said: "Social isolation is one of the things, because sometimes people can go for weeks without seeing anybody, and if they can come to a group like this, they make friends."