Around three years ago, the Gloucester Patchwork Group was given two large boxes of material with the simple message - to use it to help people in need.

The materials came via the Quilters Guild of NSW (Quilt NSW) after the husband of a quilter was confronted with a garage full of patchwork material after losing his wife.

The boxes contained anything from patches of material to part-made quilts, so he decided to donate them to the guild with one condition – that the material would was used to better people’s lives.

So the Gloucester patchworkers took the boxes they were offered with pride and got to work. 

Since then they have made many quilts and by selling them or raffling them off, the group has been raising funds for numerous causes in the community; like funds for the Bucketts Way Neighbourhood to help get a new wheelchair van.

But the help doesn’t stop there, with some of the quilts being given to victims of flood or fire, including the parents of a Gloucester resident who lost their home the recent Tathra fire, east of Bega, where up to 70 homes were lost. 

Most recently the group was able to hand over a cheque for $800 towards the Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group’s work with victims of domestic violence, with all of the donated funds to be used to help Gloucester families affected by domestic violence. 

Some of the funds were raised after selling two quilts at the Easter community markets to a couple of tourists who saw the stall and noticed the funds were going to domestic violence.

Having known someone in that situation, they decided to buy the quilts with the intention of returning to their communities and re-selling the quilts in their own fundraiser for the same cause.

Gloucester Patchwork Group’s work continues with the next couple of street raffles going toward assisting the newly reformed Gloucester scout group.

Members will be holding the raffles on Thursday, April 27 and Saturday, May 5.  

The group meets on the third Tuesday of the month at Barrington Hall.