A Shrewsbury woman’s campaign to buy £8,000 worth of medical equipment for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has been given a boost by the sale of hand-knitted ‘Dammit’ dolls.
Sue Wood, from Heath Farm, is paralysed from the waist down and uses a special machine to help her exercise.
But the RSH physiotherapy department is not equipped with the machines – so Sue is raising money to buy two. She has raised almost £6,000.
Sue’s mother-in-law, Nan Wood and Nan’s neighbour, Jean Nichol have been knitting the dolls which have proved very popular, with almost 50 sold so far.
Nan thought of the idea to make them and the first batch sold out in hours.
Costing £1 each, they come with a little verse attached, describing how the doll can prove a useful stress-reliever.
Sue first used a MotoMed machine two years ago on holiday in Cardiff. It helps exercise little-used muscles in the arms, legs and back and can also improve cardiovascular fitness.
Sue’s friends Mary Anne Richey and Christine Millington raised money to buy her a machine, which inspired Sue to continue fundraising to buy the machines for the RSH.
Sue said: “We’re actually struggling to keep up with demand at the moment. I’ve got orders coming in faster than they can knit them.”