STUDENTS at the University of Nottingham have found a useful way of spending their spare time – knitting clothes for premature babies at the Queen's Medical Centre.

Members of the union's Knit a Soc group spent hours making hats and cardigans to keep newborns in the neonatal ward warm.

Some of the babies who are treated on the ward are no bigger than an adult's hand, so finding clothing that fits them can be a problem.

The specially-designed garments donated by the students have been crafted to fit the babies properly and keep out the winter chill until they are big enough for normal-sized baby clothes.

Marika Gilbourne, founder of Knit a Soc, said: "Knitting has become much more popular recently, especially among young people.

"We wanted to do more than just knitting items for ourselves, so we decided to develop projects that would benefit others and give more of a purpose to our hobby.

"It was a really special moment when we handed the cardigans and hats over to the ward, and we wish the babies who will wear them all the best for the future."

Knit a Soc is one of the Students' Union's newest societies and members meet regularly to work together on projects and share their skills with others who are new to the hobby.

They work on charity projects with donated wool and needles, so unwanted materials are put to good use rather than being wasted.

Past projects have included making door snakes to keep out drafts and reduce energy wastage, and knitting mini hats to support Innocent's Big Knit campaign for Help the Aged. Students' Union president Rob Greenhalgh said: "As a medical student myself, I have close ties to the QMC and it's great to see students developing projects which help improve the lives of some of its patients.

"Knit a Soc is one of our youngest societies so it's impressive to see how much Marika and her fellow volunteers have achieved already."

marcus.boocock@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk