Knit one, purl one for Wigan great-grandmother making dolls of the Queen for platinum jubilee

Anne Aspinall, from Standish, raised more than £200 for Wigan charities during the coronavirus pandemic by selling her knitted dolls of key workers, other professions and even the likes of Father Christmas.

She has also knitted around 30 blankets to provide comfort for patients receiving end-of-life care.

Now she has turned her attention to the Queen and has knitted several dolls of Her Majesty in various outfits ready for the big celebrations.

So far Mrs Aspinall, 83, has collected £85 in donations for Wigan and Leigh Hospice from people buying her latest creations.

She started supporting the Hindley-based charity during the pandemic after discovering it needed to raise more money to care for its patients, as restrictions meant many fund-raising events were cancelled.

Mrs Aspinall said: “I have always knitted and I have made different things for people. Somebody asked me if I could do an ambulanceman and I didn’t know what to do. My daughter Sue downloaded a picture for me and that started me off.

"I knitted it for this lady and she gave me £20. She was very pleased with it.

"I have done so many things since then and each time I get to £100, I give it to the hospice.”

Mrs Aspinall has been busy making the Queen dolls over the past few weeks as the platinum jubilee approached.

She said: “In between my other jobs, it takes me a couple of days to make them. The hardest part is stuffing them and sewing them up and adding the earrings and other details.”

Her dolls of the Queen have proved to be popular and some have been bought by a hairdresser and a GP surgery to form part of their platinum jubilee celebrations.

Mrs Aspinall has several family celebrations over the long bank holiday weekend, including her son’s ruby wedding anniversary and great-grandson’s birthday, and is looking forward to marking the jubilee at a Mothers’ Union meeting on Monday.

"It will be a great weekend,” she said.