Women give winter chills the needle

Nasreen Akhtar, RBH Engagement Officer; Suhad Sharif, Chair of Women’s Voice; Rachel Saunders, RBH Sheltered Schemes Activities Co-ordinator and Rebecca Adeleye, Women’s Voice committee member, with some of the items the group provided for worthy causes around the borough

BME women from across the borough have brought some cheer to vulnerable people during the cold weather thanks to a special crocheting project.

Women’s Voice, a group for the Black and Minority Ethnic community, launched Crafty Comforts to provide warm clothing for the elderly and homeless.

Hats, scarves and gloves were among the items provided for winter kits which Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) then helped to distribute.

Along the way the women created links with other groups such as the Knitty Gritty group, based at Touchstones, who donated some wool, and The Knitting Group at the Lighthouse Project, Middleton, who gave valuable hands-on help.

Women’s Voice committee member Rebecca Adeleye said: “We had a lot of fun making the bits and pieces, even though we had to work against the clock to finish on time.”
RBH helped set up Women’s Voice in 2010 to offer information, training and friendship to BME women around the borough.

Nasreen Akhtar, Engagement Officer at RBH, said: “Over the last few years we’ve seen women take part in many activities which have boosted their confidence and allowed them to develop new skills which could help them in their personal lives or future business ventures.”

Projects they have previously been involved with include international cuisine, DIY, decorating and hair-braiding while they have also developed links with other BME women’s groups across Greater Manchester.

In addition, a number of members have worked with RBH to enable the mutual housing provider to gain a better understanding of the needs of BME residents.

Women’s Voice are always keen to welcome newcomers and would also be delighted to hear from anyone able to teach knitting skills or donate wool, needles or other material to the Crafty Comforts project.

For more details please contact Nasreen Akhtar on 01706 273898 or 07976 059401 or at nasreen.akhtar@rbh.org.uk