Joan Murton, who recently moved into Colten Care’s Brook View home in West Moors, is putting a long-standing hobby to good use by making blankets for sale in aid of the Dorset Blind Association.
The 87-year-old great grandmother has been crocheting blankets for charity since 1976 when she retired from her job as the manager of a day centre for adults with special needs.
One blanket she made raised £92 for the Macmillan Trust when it was sold on eBay by her daughter Barbara, who lives in Ringwood.
Born in Lewisham, London, Joan had seven brothers and was taught to knit by an older sister.
The hobby stayed with her. She typically takes around a week to make a blanket, stitching together 135 knitted squares of coloured wool that are then edged with a four-inch border.
Joan said: “I just keep on knitting and I love making blankets. It’s therapeutic and a fulfilling job. I always start by picking out the five colours I want and then crocheting the squares, nine along and 15 down. If anyone wants to send me any spare balls of wool they have, I will certainly try to use them.”
Now, Joan is knitting in earnest to help Brook View’s fundraising for the Dorset Blind Association which has already reached nearly £800 this year.
Activities Organiser Monique Brady said: “The residents chose the association as their nominated charity and we have held coffee mornings, barbecues and other events to raise money this year. Having Joan on board, happy to make blankets for sale, means we can do even more.”
