Withywood resident knitting for the Coronation
A Shrewsbury resident has been busy knitting royal themed creations to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III.
Thelma Traveller, 95, will witness her third coronation when a new monarch is crowned on Saturday – having witnessed the ceremonies for both George VI in 1937 and Elizabeth II in 1953.
Thelma lives at Withywood, a ShireLiving Independent Living Scheme operated by The Wrekin Housing Group, since it opened in 2017.
She has been working on her latest knitting project since January to help bring a smile to the face of her neighbours and bring some Coronation cheer to the scheme. Over a dozen knits are on display, including King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, royal guards, Beefeaters, a crown and even a golden carriage.
Thelma said: “I learned from my mother. When we were young she gave us knitting needles and it went from there. I’ve made Leprechauns for St Patricks Day, Easter bowls, and dinosaurs and a Bride and Groom for the staff at Withywood”
Susan Burns, Activity and Events Coordinator at Withywood said: “Thelma has worked so hard to create these decorations. We have lots of themed activities here. In lockdown, we had a gardening competition, Thelma can’t get outside very well so she knit a beautiful garden display.”
Thelma will be watching a Coronation for the third time this weekend.
She said: "I was in London for the Queen's Coronation. My brother lived in Maida Vale and he put a party on for the children. His friends had a 9inch TV so we watched it on there. I remember it rained, the Queen was never very lucky with weather, not like her mother. I saw theirs too (in 1937), it was all in the paper two days later"
Withywood tenants, like those across all ShireLiving schemes, will be celebrating with a variety of activities this weekend.
Susan said: “We’ve got great plans for our residents! We have a buffet in the lounge for lunch, followed by special Coronation cakes in the afternoon. On Sunday it’s pub day so we’ll turn the lounge into the Withywood Arms with King Charles Quiz. On Monday we have a variety performance with another buffet.”
4th May 2023