Newborns

Get knitting – and save a newborn baby’s life

Aug 7 2008 by Gary Marsh, Cynon Valley Leader

CYNON Valley MP Ann Clwyd MP is encouraging people in the Cynon Valley to get their knitting needles out.

She wants people to support Save the Children’s ‘Knit One, Save One’ campaign.

The charity wants the public to knit a hat for a newborn baby and to write to Prime Minister Gordon Brown calling on him make saving children’s lives in low income countries a priority.

“Lowering child mortality requires a raft of different measures including provision of emergency relief, immunisation, aid and education,” said Ms Clwyd.

“But it is great to know that something as simple as knitting a hat can help a child survive.

“I hope people in the Cynon Valley will take part and knit a hat for a child in the developing world.”

Pneumonia still kills a staggering two-million children each year.

Newborn babies are particularly vulnerable as they cannot control their body temperature.

It takes just two minutes for a wet, newborn baby to lose a dangerous two degrees in body temperature.

Most of this vital heat is lost through the soft spots on a baby’s head so a woolly hat can mean the difference between life and death.

Knit One, Save One is part of the Save the Children’s child survival campaign which aims to get 10m people to take action by 2010 for the 10m children that die each year.

To get involved, call Save the Children on 0207 012 6705 or visit www.savethechildren.org.uk/knitting

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