How to support making memories

Your donation makes a real difference

Every item donated to our Making Memories initiative goes directly to a family in their time of greatest need. Whether you knit blankets, donate jars from your kitchen, or give a pouch you no longer need- your generosity becomes part of something deeply meaningful.

Drop off Point for all Donations

All donations for the Making Memories initiative can be dropped off at:

Switchboard - Arrowe Park Hospital — Main Entrance, Arrowe Park Road, Upton, Wirral, CH49 5PE

Monday to Friday | During hospital opening hours

Please label your donation with the specific initiative it is for (e.g. 'Knitted Blankets' or 'Jars for ECG'). If you are donating multiple items for different initiatives, please package and label them separately to help our team.

Summary of items needed

The following is a quick reference guide to the items we are currently seeking donations of:

• Hand-knitted or crocheted hearts in soft, comforting colours (any size, neatly finished) - for knitted heart keepsakes
• Small organiser bags or fabric pouches (drawstring or zip, neutral tones) -for hair lock keepsakes
• Small clean glass jars with lids (e.g. mason jars) - for last ECG keepsakes
• Hand-knitted or crocheted blankets and pairs of knitted hearts - for knitted blanket keepsakes
• Fabric bags, tie pockets, or drawstring pouches (plain, neutral) - for personal belongings
• Small to medium wooden boxes with lids (clean, undamaged) - for memory boxes

Contact

If you would like to find out more about the Making Memories initiative, speak to a member of a member of staff on the ward or send an email to WUTH.corporatenursing@nhs.net, or ask about volunteering your skills (such as knitting or crafting), please get in touch:

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Arrowe Park Hospital, Arrowe Park Road, Upton, Wirral, CH49 5PE Telephone:] Email  Wuth.corporatenursing@nhs.net

Our team is here to support you. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

 

Knitted Hearts – Small Gesture, Lasting Comfort

WUTH is inviting our local community to support a meaningful element of our Making Memories programme. We are asking for knitted or crocheted heart pairs to offer comfort to patients receiving end-of-life care and their loved ones. One heart stays with the patient; the matching heart is given to their loved one. The pair symbolises connection during the most difficult of moments, and families often keep the heart as a lasting keepsake. Similar initiatives are widely used across NHS trusts and hospices, with positive feedback from families who value this simple but powerful gesture.

Your kind donations can make a big difference

If you knit or crochet, please consider making matching pairs of hearts approximately 10cm x 10cm, in any colour yarn, clean and securely finished. Every pair will make a difference. Please also share this appeal with local craft groups and community networks. Pattern

 

Organza Bags for Hair Locks

A lock of hair is one of the most personal and intimate keepsakes a family can receive. Soft, carefully chosen organiser bags allow us to present this precious hair lock with the dignity and tenderness it deserves. 

Your kind donations can make a big difference

We are appealing for donations of small, clean, unused fabric pouches or organza bags. Drawstring or zip styles are both welcome. Please ensure items are unused and in good condition.

 

Jars for Keeping the heart beat close

The heartbeat of a loved one is a uniquely personal thing- a rhythm that is entirely their own. Staff will arrange for carefully prints the ECG trace and rolls it into a small glass jar, creating a beautiful and deeply moving keepsake that families can keep as a reminder that their loved one's heart once beat with love for them.

Your kind donations can make a big difference

We are asking the Wirral community to donate small, clean glass jars with lids — simple lidded jars, large enough to hold a rolled strip of paper. Mason-style jars or small preserving jars are ideal. Items must be clean, unused or thoroughly washed, and free of any labels or residue. These jars can also be crafted tastefully to make the jars special if you have some spare creative time.

 

Knitted Blankets

There is something uniquely comforting about a handmade blanket the warmth and care woven into every stitch speaks a language beyond words. Our knitted blankets are used to wrap patients in their final days and are then given to families to take home as a lasting keepsake.

Your kind donations can make a big difference

We welcome donations of hand-knitted or crocheted blankets in soft, neutral or gentle tones. Blankets should be clean, completed, and made to a good standard. Pairs of knitted hearts are also warmly received.

 

Fingerprint Kits

A fingerprint is as individual as a person's soul, no two are the same. Our fingerprint kits allow families to create a lasting impression of their loved one's unique touch, a keepsake that can be made into jewellery, framed artwork, or simply kept as it is.

 

Material Bags and Tie Pockets

Our material bags and tie pockets are used to return patients' personal belongings to families in a way that feels considered and respectful, not clinical. The way belongings are returned matters, and these bags help us ensure that even this moment is handled with care. We also recognise that everyone will have different preferences some families wanting something that is simple with other perhaps selecting a favourite colour or something hand made.

Your kind donations can make a big difference

We welcome donations of fabric bags, drawstring pouches, or small tote-style bags in plain, neutral fabric. Tie pockets or small sewn pouches are also welcome for smaller keep sake items. All items should be clean and unused.

 

Wooden Boxes

Our wooden memory boxes give families a beautiful and lasting home for the keepsakes they gather- a place where photographs, letters, mementos and tokens can be kept together, safe and honoured. A wooden box says: these things matter. These memories deserve to be kept.

Your kind donations can make a big difference

We welcome donations of small to medium wooden boxes with lids- plain, undecorated, or simply finished. Boxes should be in good, clean condition. Both new and gently used boxes are welcome, provided they are clean and undamaged.