Blanket boost for Hope
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THE blanket knitted by a local craft group for the first local baby of the year is set to become a family heirloom.
Three babies born in the early days of 2016 were in the running for the beautiful white blanket, knitted by the Networks of Wellbeing group to reinstate an old tradition.
In the end it was Hope, the daughter of Tracey Braiden and James Cardno, who live near Forgue, who was the tiny recipient.
And not only did Hope receive the blanket but also a box of baby girl goodies donated by Linda Meiklejohn of the Castle Hotel.
Hope was born by Caesarian section in Dr Gray’s at 6.13am on Friday, January 8, weighing 8lb 1oz, and it was midwife Val Shields who brought the blanket gesture to the new family’s attention.
First time mum Tracey (41) said: "The blanket is beautiful and will keep her warm in the pram when we are out.
James (42), who already has two teenage sons, said his daughter was a very lucky girl to receive the two gifts.
He said: "The sleep deprivation is hard and things have moved on since I last handled a baby. I had to go onto YouTube to work out how to fit the car seat."
The Networks of Wellbeing craft group meets each Thursday between 1pm and 3.30pm in the Linden Centre and is open to anyone. Members are now knitting hats ready to send to any area where there is a natural disaster.
