On 21st May Mormon women from across the Northampton area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came together to produce hand-made quilts for refugees living in the Midlands.
- Women from the Northampton area made quilts for UK refugees
- Northampton women made quilts for UK refugees
- Northampton member, Bev Reynolds sewing a quilt for UK refugees
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The activity was in response to the moving talks included in the annual General Conference of the Church from Linda K Burton and Elder Patrick Kearon who asked members to, “Prayerfully determine what you can do—according to your own time and circumstance—to serve the refugees living in your neighbourhoods and communities.”
The aim of the event was to produce quilts to be given to refugees who had already settled in the Midlands area, working with ‘HelpfulHumans’ who work to help refugees in the UK and Dunkirk.
With so many refugees having very few belongings and struggling to make a home in a new country the quilts were practical in providing warmth, but also gave a message of love and welcome. They even had a label sewn in each one ‘with love’.
Enid Hubbard of the Ramsay congregation was a key organiser of the day. She stated in her invitation, “Please remember that another name for a quilt is a comforter. Refugees need all the comfort they can get. Your gift given with the spirit of the ‘comforter’ will touch their hearts and warm their spirits.” Enid Hubbard went on to provide energetic leadership on the day and taught all the techniques involved – there is certainly more to producing a quilt than meets the eye!
30 women took part in the project - some were experts at quilting and had been doing it for many years, some could sew, and some were real novices. A job was found for all and soon the rooms were full of people cutting, pinning, sewing, pressing, gluing and edging. The Ramsay Quilting Group also donated some sewn quilts to fill and finish on the day. The final product was more than 30 beautiful quilts which were later delivered by Nina Kerrou, the Humanitarian Relief Coordinator for the Church in the Northampton area.
Afterwards, Nina commented, "Refugees who arrive in the UK have next to nothing, having often lost their homes and fled. What little they do have is often kindly donated, but second hand. We hope that these quilts will give individuals something that is their own, something that is beautiful and made with love."