CLOTHING and accessories for babies that were handmade by schoolchildren have been presented to a hospital.

Members of St Stephen's CofE Primary School's Knit and Natter Club donated 100 woollen blankets, bonnets and bootees to staff at the Special Care Baby Unit, part of the Neonatal Unit at Royal Bolton Hospital, on Thursday.

The club, which has met after school for two years, is organised and run by members of local charity group Precious Gems, which is based at Kearsley Mount Methodist Church and knits items for a wide range of deserving causes including premature babies, the homeless and Alzheimers sufferers.

The pupils were especially proud of a blanket made up of lots of individually knitted squares painstakingly sewn together.

Connie Roe-Morton, aged 10, said: "We love knitting and we're getting better every week.

"It's good fun and we're also helping little babies at the hospital which is pretty awesome when you think about it."

Headteacher Tony Lasan said: "After the heart warming response of the community following the recent break-in at the school, it's good to be able to give something back and the children were thrilled to know that the fruits of their labour were going to such a deserving cause."