NIMBLE fingered volunteers have been busy over the last few weeks stitching warm blankets for people with no roof over their head this winter.

Dressability, a charity that normally alters clothing for the disabled and elderly, will be giving them to Swindon Nightshelter, The Broadgreen Breakfast Club and Threshold Housing Link next week.

It is the second year the seamstresses have made the fleece blankets from donated material from a firm in Leicestershire, H O Bowley.

Manager Sharon Tombs said while their dressmakers concentrated on garments for their clients, volunteers took on community projects like the blankets, which will be handed over on December 14.

“The idea is that when there is no overnight accommodation available people have a blanket, which is better than nothing,” she said.

The project started last year after a chance conversation with another charity in the town, which revealed the need.

“Although these people are not classed as disabled they are disabled by their situation.”

The charity has also been recycling school sweatshirts left behind and long forgotten in lost property by turning them into discreet bibs for children who have difficulty eating or tend to be messy.

Another recent project involved making 100 pencil cases for Rotary’s shoebox gift scheme. They are also putting together sewing kits for girls in Africa who cannot afford to buy the equipment.

“We quite like the idea of working with other charities for a common goal,” said Sharon.

She explained the charity’s core work was the sometimes complex adaptations of disabled and elderly people’s clothes. “In the last month we have come up with three or four new garments that we have adapted as samples for showing what we can do for people with diabetes,” she said.

Concealed flaps and pockets have been created that mean patients don’t have the trouble and inconvenience of taking off any clothing to inject themselves.

“Our dressmakers are always looking for new ways of helping people and we always come up with new ideas. Lots of them are group ideas where we come together and work out solutions to different problems,” she said.

“Everybody that works here really loves sewing or craft in some way. Even the admin staff sew at home, so we are all of the same mind.”

Dressability celebrates its 20th anniversary next year. It started as a pilot project for six months and had just one part-time co-ordinator and four volunteers working in a spare room.

It now helps disabled and elderly people all over the region and further afield retain their dignity and style.

Anyone who has haberdashery they don’t need and would like to donate it can contact the charity online at dressability.org.uk or call 01793 512878 for information.