KEEN knitters in Cricklade have been busy creating comforting blankets to help vulnerable people caught up in areas of conflict around the world.

Members of Cricklade United Church have been knitting six inch squares that have now been sewn together to create the warm blankets, that will be sent to help those less fortunate, through the Knit for Peace charity.

The project has really captured the imagination of many people in Cricklade and the church held a coffee morning where the twelve blankets were placed on display, last Friday.

Ray Tetlow, a member of Cricklade United Church, said: “The project started at the beginning of the year because a lot of people wanted something to do in the winter evenings.

 “The idea was to run it until the end of Lent and knit one or two blankets but because the knitting and crochet club got involved,we’ve now got 12.”

Each blanket is 3ft x 6ft and is made up of 72 individual squares that have been colourfully knitted together.

Ray added: “Everyone has been very good. Now they are ready we’ll send them off. We hope it will be an ongoing project.

“We will start it up again next autumn and probably diversify into other things such as cot blankets.”

“It’s nice to do something more interesting than just knit a square.”

Knit for Peace distribute community knitted items for children and adults such as cardigans, jumpers, hats, scarves, blankets and bed socks.

The charity estimates it has more than 15,000 knitters involved who help them regularly donate to more than 200 outlets including hospitals, refugee drop-in centres and hospices in developing countries and war-torn regions.