Author: Nazley Isaacs

  • Stitched with Love: Athlone Library’s Heartwarming Gift to Preemie Babies

    Athlone Library Knitting Club displaying their beautiful handmade caps and booties for premature babies which were crafted with love and community spirit.

    The Athlone Library Knitting Club is proud to share the success of our latest community project: creating handmade caps and booties for premature babies. Our members worked together with care and compassion to support the tiny newborns at Mowbray Maternity Hospital.

    Premature babies often struggle to regulate their body temperature, and soft, warm knitted items provide essential comfort during their early days. With this in mind, our members dedicated their time and expertise over a period of three months to produce a collection of high-quality caps and matching booties in various premature baby sizes. Using baby-safe, soft acrylic or wool blends, the ladies created a range of gentle pastel and cheerful colours, all crafted according to neonatal sizing guidelines to ensure warmth, safety and a comfortable fit.

    Knitted caps and booties officially handed over to Mowbray Maternity Hospital Sister ready to warm and welcome premature little ones.

    In late 2025, the knitting club delivered a beautiful collection of hand-knit caps to Mowbray Maternity Hospital, providing much-needed warmth and comfort to premature infants during their first delicate days The neonatal staff expressed deep gratitude for the donation, noting how vital these supportive items are for families in need. This project perfectly captures the compassion, skill and community spirit of our club members.

    We extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who dedicated their time and talent to this cause, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Mowbray Maternity to support even more tiny heroes and their families.

    Nazley Isaacs & Moeniba Fisher

    Assistant Librarians

    Athlone Library

  • 67 Minutes of kindness: Mandela Day at Athlone Library

    67 Minutes of kindness: Mandela Day at Athlone Library

    Friday, 18 July marked Mandela Day, the Athlone Library marked 67 Minutes of Kindness with a heartwarming initiative by its knitting club. Every Wednesday, the club gathers to knit handmade blankets and this year they donated them to the ladies at Erica Place, a local old age home in the area.

    The Athlone Library knitting club show off their handmade blankets in honour of Mandela Day


    The gesture was a beautiful reminder of Nelson Mandela’s values of selflessness and community. The blankets, made with care and warmth, offered comfort to the elderly residents who often face isolation. It’s not just about knitting but about building bonds and making a difference, one stitch at a time.

    Athlone Library staff, along with a sister, deliver blankets to an old age home for distribution.
    Blankets being distributed to residents at an old age home by staff, bringing warmth and care to the elderly.


    The knitting club’s weekly get-togethers embody Mandela’s belief that “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived, but what difference we have made to the lives of others.”

    By coming together to give back, they showed just how small acts of kindness can have a meaningful impact.Mandela Day at Athlone Library was a true celebration of kindness and community, leaving a legacy of warmth and compassion.


    Nazley Isaacs
    Assistant Librarian

    Athlone Library