Kind-hearted knitter from Burton crafts 150 special blankets for families who have lost a child

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 28/03/2017


A kind-hearted knitter has been putting her needles to good use as part of an effort to create baby blankets for grieving families whose child has passed away.

Julie King has crafted a total of 150 special pieces of knitwear after reading about the ground-breaking Central England Co-operative Funeralcare cuddle cot project in the Burton Mail.

Last year the Society purchased 10 cuddle cots which offer a cooling pad in a Moses basket to give relatives more time to say goodbye.

The 57-year-old, who lives in Burton, was inspired to help parents in need after reading the article and also used it to help ‘give her a purpose’ after a battle with ill-health.

She said: “I was inspired after reading about the cuddle cot project in the Burton Mail and I knew that I had to do something to help the families who have lost a child.

“I simply phoned up Central England Co-operative Funeralcare and asked if I was able to help and that was how it all started.

“After suffering a mild stroke, anxiety and depressions, this has really helped spur me on and it has also reminded me of the generosity of people.

“The cuddle cot project is such a great thing to do and I am glad I can help in this small way.

“This has given me a purpose, helped keep me going and, most importantly, has helped and will continue to help people who have tragically lost a child.”

Each blanket is individually wrapped and features a bespoke tag that showcases who the materials or the money to pay for them has been donated by, with the likes of tyre giant Pirelli already among the many donors to this great cause.

Wellings Funeral Director Jo Mills said: “The amazing kindness shown by Julie is a fantastic example of people going out of their way to help the community where they live.

“Her blankets make a real difference for families who have lost a child and form a vital part of the time we spend as we help them say goodbye.

“We cannot thank Julie enough for her generosity and hope that people across Burton and beyond are inspired by her efforts and can help ensure that her work continues into the future.”

The donated blankets will be handed to families via Wellings, in Derby Street, Co-operative Funeralcare, in Borough Road, JH Grice, in Hatton, and Ward and Brewin, in Swadlincote and Woodville.

The cuddle cot project is one of the first of its kind in the funeral business and the cots are available across the trading area of Central England Co-operative.

The cuddle cots form part of The Rainbow Service, which offers a free of charge funeral service for children up to and including 17 years of age.

People can find out more about cuddle cots and The Rainbow Service by visiting http://www.centralengland.coop/funeral-services or calling 0800 454 552.

Anyone who would like to support Julie’s blanket knitting bid in way of a donation can do so by calling Jo Mills at Wellings on 01283 563555.

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Wellings Funeral Director Jo Mills with Julie King after the kind-hearted knitter donated 150 blankets for grieving families whose child has passed away in Burton and the surrounding area.

Below is a full list of the firms and organisations who have already donated to Julie’s blanket knitting bid:
• Home Bargains
• Hunters News
• Madihas Ethnic
• Brownz Salon
• Tanning Studio, in Horninglow road
• Steptoe, in Dover Road
• Nisa Local
• Angelo’s Chippy
• Waterloo Pharmacy
• Micks Carpets
• Horninglow Taxis
• Emma’s Newsagent
• Melton interiors
• Sew n Sew
• Wellington street post office
• Rachel Hair Design
• Manor Pharmacy
• Calais Fishbar
• Lidl
• K G Autos
• William Garage Dover Road
• Willis and Co Accountants
• Curzon Street Veterinary Centre,
• Jamie Winstone's Veterinary Surgery
• Cutters
• Terry Bushell Travel
• Pizza Base
• Crescent Motors
• Pirelli
• Pentagon Vauxhall
• Carpet City
• Pizza Pantry
• Nisa Local
• Horninglow Co-op
• The Navigation
• Coytes Carpets
• Concept Hairdressers
• Kebab Village
• Pizza Plaza
• Victoria Inn
• Balti Towers
• Safer Sun
• Apne Restaurant
• Terry, Natalie and Paul Roberts, Kev and Norma, Elaine and Steve Chapman, Kay Rice, Nyree Harlow, Tina, Helen, Caroline & Family, Margaret Allen, Tony Beophy, Christine, Sharon, Shirley and Rachel, Janet, Denesh, Rachel, Gavin and Olivia, Annette Dunn, Gaynor, Sandra and Gray, Myra Kauser

The cuddle cots are available across the entire Central England Co-operative trading estate and have been provided by firm Flexmort.

The devices will be based at the following locations:
• Great Brook Street - Birmingham
• Stirchley -Birmingham
• Derby
• Heanor
• Corby
• Humberstone Road -Leicester
• Kings Lynn
• Peterborough
• Lowestoft
• Wellings – Burton

About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. The company’s funeral business consists of over 120 funeral homes across 16 counties, 10 florists, masonry production and administration, Bretby Crematorium and Terry Smiths coffin factory.

Central England Co-operative has more than 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store and funeral home development programme for 2017.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

For more information visit http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, @mycooplife and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop