Harleston woman's bake sales and crocheting are raising money for a great cause

Money is being raised through the crocheting and baking efforts of a woman who wishes to buy digital scales for a midwives department.

Pauline Shadbolt, 55, from Old Market in Harleston has set a target of raising £2,000 to buy seven sets of digital scales for Waveney Team Midwives.

Having started by crocheting to the pass time in lockdown, Mrs Shadbolt soon began giving blankets away.

She said: “People started donating wool for my baby blankets, then somebody gave me £10 for one so I decided to start exchanging them for reasonable donations. I have a friend who works for Waveney Team Midwives and they don’t have any digital scales so I thought perhaps I could help.

“Some people have donated over £50 for my larger blankets but I don’t set a price. People give what they can as long as it’s reasonable. As baking was something I also did during lockdown I decided to a bake sale as well for the same cause.”

Mrs Shadbolt, who is a retired police officer, has been crocheting since “being taught by a dinner lady at age seven” and makes blankets of varying sizes and patterns, having crocheted – since lockdown began.

She has raised £1,160 towards her target of £2,000 and will be hosting her next bake sale on the bank holiday Monday of August 31.

Mrs Shadbolt said: “I post on Facebook each time someone donates and the amount rises. Once I hit my target I may keep fundraising for them if they need it, as long as the wool is available. Unofficially, the midwives team know what I’m doing, but they don’t know exactly when the scales will arrive so it will still be a nice surprise.”

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