Wild Flower Walks of Upper Teesdale - Christopher and Gayle Lowe
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Kind-hearted crafter boosts Deerbolt orphan appeal with blanket donation
Jul 30, 2010
A 93-year-old woman is leading the way with donations for the latest Deerbolt charity appeal.
Irene McEwan is combining her crocheting skills and Teesdale connections to help keep orphans in Romania warm with her traditional hand-crafted blankets.
Mrs McEwan, from Cullercoats, was introduced to the annual appeal run by prison workers at Deerbolt by a Red Cross colleague, Edna Harrison, whose son Paul lives in Barnard Castle.
Mrs Harrison visited Barnard Castle last week to hand over the 30 brightly coloured blankets to Mick Ward and Michael Northey, who are both members of Deerbolt Aid to Orphans (DATO).
Mr Ward said: “This is great and it means an awful lot to the people who receive them.
“In the summer it is sweltering over there but once the winter sets in, temperature drops to around minus 25 so they definitely come in useful. Especially when a lot of the children are just walking around the streets.”
Mr Northey said that a lot of the children have to swap clothes and shoes, and often have little to wear in the cold weather.
He added: “The place where we go to has just been hit by a flood so the children need shelter more than ever.”
Along with Mrs McEwan’s blankets, the DATO team are looking for cash donations from people living in Teesdale to help buy medical supplies when they head off for their 25th trip in Romania.
Mr Northey said: “When we went out last time there was a girl who had toothache but the nearest dentist was over 200 miles away but we were able to give her some painkillers.”
Before the team set out to Romania last year they received over £400 in donations.
Mr Northey said: “We had enough money to buy a lot of medical equipment that they just can’t get out there. So we cleared the shelves of Calpol and paracetamol in Bishop Auckland Asda and Boots in
Barney.”
Mrs Harrison said she is pleased she can help the good cause. “It’s great being able to help. It doesn’t matter how small, we are still making a contribution, even though it is a drop in the ocean.”
If anyone can help out DATO with any donations, they are asked to call either Mick on 07951 981763 or Michael on 01833 641490.