Legendary knitting 'Granny Mo' stitching for baby charity (From Surrey Comet)

Legendary knitting 'Granny Mo' stitching for baby charity

Nimble-fingered grandmother Maureen Hawkins has spent more than a decade knitting brightly coloured clothes for premature babies.

Legendary knitting 'Granny Mo' stitching for baby charity

The 72-year-old, who dedicates almost five hours a day to knitting, has notched up an average of 14 crochet blankets a month for Kingston Hospital’s Neonatal Unit since 2000.

With the help of neonatal care charity Born Too Soon, she encouraged shoppers at Kingston’s John Lewis store to help her stitch some specially-tailored blankets for the tiny newborns.

Mrs Hawkins, from Old Malden, encouraged people to knit one and purl one at the event on Tuesday, August 30.

She said she was honoured to be asked to take part.

“If somebody knits something for the babies, they’ve got something to start them off.

“The more we get involved, the better.”

Known as Granny Mo among her friends, Mrs Hawkins was born in Rayne’s Park and lived in Kingston for several years before finally settling in Old Malden.

She said: “I’ve been knitting all my life.

“I started at about four or five, knitting dolly scarves, small things.

“I knit everywhere, waiting for the kettle to boil, sitting on the bus. You can get so much done on the bus.

“If it’s a quiet day I knit five or six hours a day, or even longer, especially in the winter.

The grandmother of four is connected with various different charities, and knits items including jumpers, blankets and hats, for third world countries.

Founded in 1985, Born Too Soon raises funds for the neonatal care unit at Kingston Hospital, which cares for prematurely born infants, some weighing as little as 3lb and are so small regular baby clothes often don’t fit them.

Mrs Hawkins said: "These children have absolutely nothing. It’s meaningful to give them something.”

“I don’t do it for the reward; I do it because I thoroughly enjoy it."