Ingenia Gardens Wagga Wagga resident, Val Merchant, knows all too well that when you’re going through a rough patch, sometimes all you need is a hug.

The Ingenia Gardens Wagga Wagga resident uses her eight decades of knitting experience to craft teddies for the Australian Red Cross to donate to children who are experiencing traumatic situations or need support when riding in an ambulance. Ms Merchant said it “makes her feel happy” to knit a teddy for those in need.

Ms Merchant said there were plenty of children who needed a friendly face and a cuddle. “Apparently there’s quite a lot of little ones who just need something to make them happy,” she said. “When you’re old time is one thing you have plenty of and I knew how to do them.

“It’s nice to know you may be helping some little child through a nasty period in their life.” Ingenia Gardens Wagga Wagga Village manager Gayle Maloney said knitting the teddies also benefited the residents, with hand-eye coordination and dexterity improvements.

“Most of our residents have been knitting for decades and what better way to put their quick knitting skills to use than for a worthy cause,” she said.

Ms Merchant, along with other Ingenia Gardens Wagga Wagga residents were featured on Prime7 News – click here to watch the new clip.

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