Our Engagement Knit and Knatter Rawtenstall

By Louise Dewhurst

In today’s ‘Our Impact’ report, Louise visited the Knit and Knatter group in Rawtenstall at Mr Fitzpatrick’s.

At this event I talked to 9 people about their knowledge of Healthwatch’s work and discussed our current projects – Disability Voices and Women’s Health. We had conversations with people who have concerns about their mental health and overall physical health problems. We also discussed dementia and the important work of the Admiral Nurse Service.

The ‘Knit & Natter’ event is held every Wednesday afternoon in the cosy Mr Fitzpatrick’s Café, which serves lovely coffee and cakes. The group is open to the public, and offers a friendly meeting place for people who want to chat, socialize, and find out about other things going on in the local community.

Many of those who regularly attend have become close friends, and meet outside the group too. One lady I spoke to explained that the group has helped improve her mental health and general well-being, as she struggles with anxiety. Despite the group’s name, knitting is optional; when we visited only Janet, the group’s leader, was actively knitting!

The main issues that people raised with me at the event were surrounding dementia and caring for family members who unfortunately have this disease.

One member of the group spoke of the difficulties she experienced caring for a relative, and I mentioned the support offered by dementia specialist Admiral Nurses – she expressed that she wished she had known about them when her relative was ill. Several members of the group were interested to hear about the work we do at Healthwatch and said they would advise relatives to contact us.

I enjoyed this event very much. The group gave me a warm reception, and I was extremely grateful that they let me into their space and allowed me to talk about the work of Healthwatch.

It was an opportunity to explore experiences from a community that I had never engaged with before. The group were very friendly and welcoming, and I hope to return in the future to update them on our Women’s Health project. Most members took a QR code to access our project’s online survey.

During the session one of the ladies was determined to show me how to crochet, but I was a hopeless case. She gave me a ball of wool to take away with me, and it has inspired me to pick up some knitting needles and perhaps start a new hobby!

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