Care home calls on community to help break knitting

A Solihull-based care home is calling on the wider community to help knit a record number of premature baby bonding squares for hospitals across the UK.

As 2025 marks Bupa’s 40th anniversary of providing care, Ardenlea Grove Bupa Care Home is joining forces with other Bupa care homes across the country to create as many knitted squares as possible.

A key goal of Bupa’s milestone anniversary is to help give back to local communities, which residents value so dearly. When deciding how they could best do this, residents and carers opted to provide warmth and comfort for babies in neonatal care.

Student volunteers from Solihull School have also joined in with the initiative, visiting the home weekly to knit with the residents.

Lisa Hughes, Home Manager at Ardenlea Grove, commented: “In Bupa’s 40th year, we wanted to find a way to give back the love and support which communities show us. We thought a lovely way of doing this would be to gift knitted baby bonding squares. There are many avid knitters within our care home, but we would love for anyone in our local community to lend a hand to the cause and join us in trying to create a record number of baby bonding knitted squares.”

Knitters of all levels are encouraged to participate in the initiative. The home is looking for 10cm x 10cm squares, which means no additional stitching is required, so even beginners to the craft can get involved.

Doreen Spooner, a resident at Ardenlea Grove Bupa Care Home, added: “I think it’s a lovely idea to share some warmth and support for premature babies. I’ve always enjoyed knitting and it’s been great sharing my knitting skills with the students from Solihull School, too.”

Those looking to visit their local Bupa care home to knit alongside residents can contact 0121 705 9222, or you can donate squares by sending them to Ardenlea Grove Care Home 19-21 Lode Lane, Solihull B91 2AB.

Ardenlea Grove Bupa Care Home is situated in Solihull, and welcomes residents in need of nursing or residential care including those living with dementia. For further information, please visit https://www.bupa.co.uk/care-services