A group of dedicated quilters and patchworkers have used their talent to make a quilt that will be auctioned off for a lifesaving charity.

Wye Knots, which consists of 20 ladies and one gentleman, wanted to make a quilt to help raise funds for a worthy cause - the Wales Air Ambulance.

They’re no strangers to fundraising, Wye Knots love making charity quilts and have previously made them for Welsh Mountain Rescue, Welsh Guide Dogs, QE2 Hospital in Birmingham, House Start and they recently finished one for Welsh RNLI.

Wye Knots has been meeting for around 28 years and it has taken 12 months to plan and execute the making of the popular quilt, which they also entered into the Malvern Quilt Show.

Chairwoman of Wye Knots, Gill Lewis said: “During lockdown we kept each other spirits up by doing little challenges. One of the challenges was to do four or more 4" squares in orange and blue with the aim of making a charity quilt. When we had collected them all two of our ladies assembled the squares into the quilt. Then another member quilted it. We thought that the stars were a good choice for the Wales Air Ambulance.”

In December 2020, the Charity achieved its aim of operating a 24/7 service. Wales now has access to the service’s Emergency Department-standard critical care around the clock and to keep the helicopters in the air, the Charity needs to raise £8 million every year.

The beautiful cotton quilt is approximately 48 x 52 inches and will be auctioned on the Wales Air Ambulance’s eBay shop.

To purchase items from the eBay shop visit www.ebay.co.uk/str/walesairambulance

Wendy McManus, the Charity’s Community Fundraiser, said: “We are very grateful to everyone from Wye Knots who dedicated their time to produce a fantastic quilt for the Wales Air Ambulance.  It is lovely to hear that during lockdown the quilters and patchworkers kept each other’s spirits up by taking the time to work on the quilt.

“We’re excited that the quilt will be auctioned on our eBay store and are pleased that the money raised will help keep our helicopters in the air and the Wales Air Ambulance can continue to take the emergency department to the patient, saving time and saving lives.” 

There are several ways that the public can continue to support the Wales Air Ambulance. These include online donations, signing up to the Charity’s Lifesaving Lottery or by coming up with their own innovative ways to fundraise at home. Further information can be found via www.walesairambulance.com. 

Alternatively, a £5 text-message donation can be made by texting the word HELI to 70711