Radio Programme take 2!

If you listened to the Radio Programme, Airing Pain on February 1st as I did, you will already have realised that our knitting group didn't feature. The decision was taken to air our bit in a different programme which will now feature on February 15th at 11am and 8pm on Ableradio.com as before. I wonder if we'll have the whole programme to ourselves!

I have to say it's a bit nerve wracking being at the mercy of the producer re what airs and what gets left in the editing room! And I've found it worse when I'm on the radio than when I submit an article for print, so fingers crossed the message gets across!

Betsan

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On the radio

Our group at the Royal United Hospital's Pain Clinic is on the radio tomorrow - Tuesday February 1st. It will feature as part of Pain Concern's series entitled Airing Pain. This programme, No 10 is called 'Pain Services in Bath'. You can listen to it at 11am and 8pm on www.ableradio.com and it will also be available as a podcast later the same day.

The producer interviewed me, the clinic's clinical psychologist and members of our knitting group, plus I had to teach him to knit 'on air'! Fortunately he learned very quickly and enjoyed it and I owe a debt of gratitude to his grandmother who taught him to knit 47 years ago. After all this time the movements were still lodged in his subconscious!

I'm not sure what will be aired and what lies on the editorial floor, but I hope you enjoy it.

Betsan

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New team project

A great team project is underway in Cornwall, which you can all contribute to. Hall of Cornwall are asking knitters from all over the world to join them in knitting the world's longest scarf. They hope to break the Guinness World record. If you'd like to become part of this record breaking attempt, click here for further details.

Betsan

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Research help needed

The Cardiff University study into knitting and memory will begin on Wednesday June 2nd. We need to find 90 volunteers who would be willing to travel to the university to give 90 minutes of their time. Please contact Betsan for details of dates and time slots if you're interested in taking part.

Other good news is that the Stitchlinks and Cardiff University knitting survey has got clearance from the university ethics committee, so over the next couple of weeks we will be testing this out and piloting it. Our target to get this live online is June 21st and we need to find 1000 knitters worldwide to fill it out. The folk at Ravelry have agreed to help us spread the word and link to the survey, so a big thanks to them.

Results will be published in psychology and health journals as well as lay versions in magazines and through the Stitchlinks website.

Betsan

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I've just spent the week at the British Pain Society's Annual Scientific Meeting in Manchester and the results have surpassed my wildest dreams. It seems like enough pain clinicians are ready to accept knitting as a management tool for chronic pain for us to really make a difference. Lots of exciting work to be done with doctors, nurses and psychologists across the UK. It's very exciting and my brain is buzzing with ideas.

Betsan

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The stress has lifted very slightly as the Easter break means we've been given a short reprieve on our funding deadline. It's still going to necessitate pulling out all the stops but at least it now appears doable!

On the practical front we are aiming to start knitting groups in various specialist areas such as pain management, for ethnic minority women, the homeless, alcohol and drug addiction, so if you have an interest in any of these areas or have an idea of your own you'd like to develop with us, please get in touch.

Betsan

xxx

Wow - it has been a long time since we last posted. The truth of the matter is we've been snowed under. So many deadlines piling in at once.

Time seems to be passing by so quickly I can't believe it's almost Easter. Gerard will be spending Easter at the Ideal Home Exhibition in Earls Court, London, so please say hello to him if you're visiting over the holiday period. He will have been manning the stand for 17 days by the end, with some help from Lorraine and some fab volunteers, so I'm sure he'll need a holiday!

I have a big research deadline looming and we're currently battling with a problem of getting scientific funders to accept the word knitting in the study title. We have a really good proposal and two leading UK professors working with us but if we can't get the whole panel over the word knitting we simply won't get the money. So it's all highly frustrating.

Gerard will tell you that I've been feeling very rebellious recently so we're developing Plan B which will work with healthcare professionals to set up knitting groups to SHOW it works from the bottom up.

If you're interested in helping out or joining our Knitting in Healthcare Revolution, please email me at Betsan at iknitlinks.org.

Betsan

xxx

Your December iknitlinks newsletter should be sitting in your inbox.

Things are progressing well with specialist projects and social groups in the pipeline. I shall be over seeing a knitting group at a special needs school in Bath from January 14th onwards. it's going to be run by two volunteers who are ex teachers which is just perfect. The group will contain parents, teachers and children. We also hope to develop a knitting program with the sensory awareness teachers and have opened up an avenue of communication between experts at the local pain unit and the school - I believe there is some cross over in the 'treatments' they can offer, so that's exciting.

Christmas seems to be hurtling towards me very quickly - so much so that I was busily arranging a meeting for next Friday when someone kindly reminded me it was Christmas day!

Things on the research front are also hotting up - I have costing to do for the whole project by Monday and I'm away on Sunday - gulp.

Plus of course there is the 'normal' Christmas stuff!

Betsan

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Making progress

Setting Up and Running a School-based Knitting Group is now available on your Specialist Packs page of the iknitlinks website. Thank you to those who contributed ideas and invaluable information.

I've been writing a specification / job description for a Knitting Advocate today. It is currently being reviewed by Gerard and Lorraine, so will be available soon.

Some of you may have seen the article in Take a Break magazine recently. We're happy to announce that we'll be working with them on a further article soon.

I'm also involved with setting up a knitting group at a fabulous special school here in Bath so will keep you updated on that project. We aim to get it up and running in the New Year, so if anyone is interested in setting up a similar project please get in touch. Gerard and Lorraine are developing other projects - details will be revealed when we know a little more.

If you're after materials for your group we'll be able to supply them soon. We will have basic kits containing wool, needles and pattern for £3.50 plus postage. There will also be spare needles and wool available plus group packages which give your group even better value for money, so please keep checking in!

Betsan

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Schools Pack

I recently sent out our 'Setting up and Running an Schools-based Knitting Group' draft pack to teacher friends of mine and I've had a lot of great feedback. I've spent today adding their very practical comments so the pack should be available on the Specialist Packs page of the iknitlinks website very soon. You can access this page when you download our Core Pack.

We have lots of exciting projects in the planning at the moment so my mind is whirring with ideas. I just wish there were more hours in the day! Just off to my local pub-based knitting group at The Bear in Bath now. If you're ever visiting this beautiful city call in -we meet at 7pm every Wednesday evening.

Betsan

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PS Look out for tomorrow's (5th November) Take a Break magazine - there should be a knitting article featuring us.