A WORCESTER widow has knitted 100 woolly penguins for the Great Waddle of Worcester’s pop-up shop in memory of her husband.
Sue Hencher lost her husband Vaughan last year and picked up the needles to help St Richard’s Hospice which had cared for him.
Sara Matthews, the hospice’s business development manager, said shop staff found a thank-you note from Sue in a bag of penguins and then met Sue on the penguin trail to give her a goody bag for her grandchildren.
Sue said: “My husband, Vaughan, really enjoyed taking our grandchildren around the elephant and giraffe trails and was very much hoping to be here to see the penguins.
“It was Vaughan’s idea that I knit penguins over the winter months to help the hospice.
“When I lost him more suddenly than expected in September, it took me a while to start knitting, but it soon became so much more to me.
“I started putting them into his empty armchair and when I was asked by my granddaughter if I was going to fill his chair with penguins I readily accepted the challenge.
“In fact, I have gone much further than that and created 100 penguins but I am keeping a few in his chair as it would look so empty without them.”
Sara said:
“We’ve been blown away by the community’s kindness in knitting penguins and always look for the maker’s details so we can send a proper thank you.
“This particular bag contained a thank-you note to us for giving the maker an ‘unexpected gift’ of focus and distraction during the first lonely months without their husband. The author paid tribute to the care her husband had received from St Richard’s and for ensuring he had precious extra time with his family.”
The hospice is encouraging people to keep crafting penguins for its shop and asked senders to include their contact details so each maker can be thanked.
