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The “Postcode Advertiser” interviewed one of our trustees, Avril, about supporting the local community and how Rosie in Stitches benefits the Rosie hospital.

Avril loves to support the work of The Friends of the Rosie Maternity Hospital. She has been an enthusiastic volunteer for the hospital since 1993 and is part of a loyal team of knitters and crocheters who make children’s clothes and toys to sell under the name Rosie in Stitches. Rosie in Stitches has a group of 60 volunteers to knit items that The Rosie Hospital wards need for the babies.

The Friends of the Rosie Hospital are enthusiastic volunteers whose aim is to improve the services the hospital provides by raising money for items that the NHS does not buy. They have a loyal team who make children’s clothes and toys to sell under the name ‘Rosie in Stitches. They are interested in the comfort of all Rosie patients. In the community they supply midwives with state-of-the-art equipment.

Meet Avril Williams, 62, a longtime Cambridge resident of 42 years, who loves to support the community.

What do you love most about living in Cambridge?

There are lots of historical and artistic places to vi

sit and things to do.

What’s your favourite thing to do on an autumn day?

Walking in the woods listening to the sound of leaves crunching under foot, the wind blowing the trees and birdsong. Smelling the petrichor and late blooms in the air.

Restaurant recommendation?

The Olive Tree Cafe at Oakington Garden Centre. It is a nice place to rest if I have been energetic enough to walk there. The homemade quiche and cakes are delicious and great calorie replenishments after a hike.

Favourite secret hotspot?

Madingley Community Orchard for solitude and to pick blackberries for jam making!

Can you tell us more about how you contribute to the local community?

I support several charities, visiting for CamSight, volunteering with Special Olympics but most of the time liaising with The Rosie Hospital to find out what items the wards need for the babies.

Tell us more about Rosie in Stitches – what service does it offer and how can residents participate?

The Friends of the Rosie Hospital are enthusiastic volunteers whose aim is to improve the services the hospital provides by raising money for items that the NHS does not buy. They have a loyal team who make children’s clothes and toys to sell under the name ‘Rosie in Stitches. They are interested in the comfort of all Rosie patients. In the community they supply midwives with state-of-the-art equipment.

If you can spare a few hours a week or wish to donate, they would be happy to hear from you. Rosie in Stitches has a group of 60 volunteers to knit items that The Rosie Hospital wards need for the babies. We also make other commissions received by customers through our website. We have in person stalls at various village community markets.

We have several more requests for funding, so any donations will be gratefully received. All the money raised goes to the Rosie.

The Friends of the Rosie Hospital’s aim is to raise money to buy comforts and equipment that the NHS cannot provide for mothers and babies both in the Rosie Maternity Hospital at Addenbrooke’s NHS Trust, Cambridge and in the district.

To raise money, we sell knitted goods under the trading arm ‘Rosie in Stitches’. These goods are made by a group of about 60 kind knitters and sold at local stalls in the Cambridge area and online here, via our rosieinstitches2010 eBay charity store, and on our Rosie in Stitches Facebook page.

Our charity accepts commissions for items that are not in our catalogue.

The special cardigan had been knitted for a newborn baby.

We have several more requests for funding, so any donations will be gratefully received. All the money raised goes to the Rosie.

We can always use any offers of help and new volunteers to support our work. Just contact us on friendsoftherosie@gmail.com

The Friends of the Rosie Hospital has been in existence for the past 50 years. Our aim is to raise money to buy comforts and equipment that the NHS cannot provide for mothers and babies both in the Rosie Maternity Hospital at Addenbrooke’s NHS Trust, Cambridge and in the district.

To raise money, we sell knitted goods under the trading arm ‘Rosie in Stitches’. These goods are made by a group of about 60 kind knitters and sold at local stalls in the Cambridge area and online via https://www.rosieinstitches.org.uk, our rosieinstitches2010 eBay charity store, and on our Rosie in Stitches facebook page.

Essential Monitoring Equipment

We have recently paid for a Digital Mobile Scanner: an innovative portable outpatient setting for diagnostics at a cost of £26,400. By using this scanner staff can avoid over diagnosis and a theatre procedure, which also impact on a longer stay in hospital and may be a barrier for mother and baby bonding.

It enables the midwives to decide if the repair can be done in the delivery suite or if the Mum needs to go to the theatre. Shahla Bakhtiari, Consultant Midwife at the Rosie and her team have now been trained in the use of the scanner.

“We have started to use the scanner for all our ladies on the OASI clinic.

We have already started to offer extra appointments with physiotherapists even before the ladies come to their OASI clinic appointment. This is to check with them to see if they are doing well and it is around 6 weeks postnatal. ”

We have already expanded our service.”

“We would like to thank the Friends of the Rosie for their hard-working fundraising, on behalf of myself and the OASI clinic.”
Shahla Bakthtiari

An OASI clinic, or Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury clinic, is a specialized medical facility that provides care and support for women who have experienced a third- or fourth-degree tear during childbirth, known as an obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI). These clinics offer a
multidisciplinary approach to manage both the immediate and long-term effects of OASI, including pain, bowel and bladder control issues, and sexual dysfunction.

The purpose of the clinic:
OASI clinics aim to provide comprehensive care for women who have experienced an OASI, addressing both physical and psychological needs.

We have several more requests for funding, so any donations will be gratefully received. All the money raised goes to the Rosie.

We can always use any offers of help and new volunteers to support our work. Just contact us on friendsoftherosie@gmail.com