BLANKETS for a church in Somerset have come flooding in after an appeal from a member of the community.
Kate Livingstone, of the funeral directors A. J. Wakely & Sons, noticed how cold it was at a funeral in St Mary’s, Ilminster, and put out a call for blankets. She didn’t mind what they looked like, or where they got here from; she simply desired to help to maintain worshippers warm.
By the start of this week, greater than 30 blankets had arrived, all hand-knitted, in various sizes and shapes. “We’re not going to show any away,” she said. “Any excess can go to other churches in the realm.”
Blankets have been dispatched from neighbouring towns, including Minehead, Wincanton, and Chard. Notices in shop windows have encouraged contributions, and the BBC has also reported the story.
“I used to be delighted, then, when Wakely’s, with whom we’ve got an in depth relationship, approached me with this improbable idea, which seems to have so captured the imagination of Somerset’s knitters,” the Area Dean of Somerset South, the Revd Joanna Stobart, said.
A latest boiler had been installed within the Minster about two years ago, but its operation had been delayed by the necessity for an upgrade out there town’s electricity supply. “The Minster is at the center of our town, and, in a close-knit community, everyone has been very aware of the issues we faced first for a complete winter without heating, after which getting our latest boiler up and running,” she said.
Speaking of the “challenges on our journey to a more eco-friendly way of heating our beautiful church”, she said: “Looking ahead, addressing how we keep warm in our ancient buildings, in addition to caring for God’s creation, might have some homespun — and even knitted — solutions alongside technological ones.”
Ms Livingstone first noticed blankets for congregational use in baskets in a church in South Petherton, a few years ago, and is pleased to expand the initiative to Ilminster. “It’s community-minded, and I’m enthusiastic about being a part of this community,” she said.
