Limerick students knit, crochet and sew over 800 hearts for UHL patients
Villiers school community knit, crochet and sew 832 hearts for University Hospital Limerick
LIMERICK students have shown they have hearts in every single colour of the rainbow.
It came after they knitted, crocheted, and sewed more than 800 colourful hearts to give to people bereaved after losing loved ones.
Emily Sexton Considine, the religious and spiritual co-ordinator at Villiers School, located in North Circular Road, encouraged students to take part in an appeal being led by the end-of-life committee at University Hospital Limerick.
“St Mary’s Cathedral began the process of encouraging people to knit and crochet hearts. Loads of people have brought in hearts and we can continue to do so over the summer. We heard about it that way. One of our teachers saw it on Facebook. She showed me, and it took off last month,” said Ms Considine.
A total of 832 hearts have been knitted by school students, their parents, guardians and even grandparents.
These have been collected by the end-of-life co-ordinator at HSE Mid-West, Rebecca Lloyd, who admits she was left quite emotional by the efforts of those at Villiers.
“This is where I get a lump in my throat - it’s the love in the stitching, the knitting, the crocheting that gets me every time. That somebody has sat down and they’ve thought about somebody else,” she said.
Often, Rebecca says that bereaved people put the hearts under their pillow to remember loved ones.
“It gives them this tiny bit of comfort. It reminds them that love never dies,” she added.
Ms Considine says the school will be making hearts every year.
“We never dreamed we would get to such an amazing figure in the space of a month. We are so proud of each and every person who got involved, helped us to organise and spread the word. Everyone was so involved as a community,” she added.
The teacher added they expected 546 hearts to reflect the number of students in Villiers School - but was delighted at the higher figure.
Rebecca said donations of hearts are always welcome, no matter how big or how small.
“We’ll take any donation. And that’s what makes me cry every time. It’s the love and the time and effort that someone has taken for someone else. I don’t think we do enough of that anymore,” she said.
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