Kind-hearted Lurgan pensioner knits more than 5,000 little hats for babies at Belfast's Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital
A nimble-fingered Lurgan woman who is celebrating her 92nd birthday this month is certainly proving that age is no barrier to showing kindness to others.
Myrtle McCavish from Derryadd has been putting her crafting skills to good use for decades by handknitting little hats for babies at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Belfast.
In fact, more than 5,000 of Myrtle’s beautiful little creations have been handed over to the hospital down the years in a remarkable act of kindness that has warmed the hearts of people from far and wide, most of whom she will never meet.
The kind-hearted pensioner has been knitting hats specifically for the babies at the Royal since September 2019 – and it doesn’t look like she has any intention of slowing down.
Myrtle loves to hear stories from the hospital and was delighted when a relative who was in the ward one day counted 12 newborn babies all wearing her little hats!
The appreciation for Myrtle’s generosity has never waned over the years despite changing fashions for little ones. She used to just knit pink and blue hats but it seems that new parents now also love multi-coloured versions.
Knitting has been a lifelong passion for Myrtle, who picked up her first pair of needles as a young girl.
As the years went by it became more than just a hobby and she saw it as a way for her to ‘give back’.
“She’s always liked to help where she can,” said granddaughter Lydia Banks, who proudly shared that Myrtle passed on her love of knitting to her daughters and granddaughters.
Often Myrtle purchases the wool herself, but her family also contribute by gifting her yarn on special occasions like her birthday, Mother’s Day, and Christmas — thoughtful presents that she lovingly transforms into her tiny hats and donates back to the hospital.
Her creations have not only brought comfort to the babies in hospital, but she has also supported her local church and the Salvation Army, donating handmade blankets and cardigans for those less fortunate.
Myrtle’s creations have always been made with compassion and as she celebrates another birthday, her legacy stitched into every item she has made is a testament to the power of small acts of kindness and the enduring spirit of community care.