AN industrious craft club that started as a small social group has become a dedicated charity crusader.

The 30 or so members of Dean Bank Chat ’n’ Craft, in Ferryhill, County Durham, help countless good causes each year at home and abroad.

The group, which meets every Thursday in Dean Bank and Ferryhill Literary Institute, was established for women to catch up on local news and share craft skills.

Last year was one of their busiest ever.

One of the group’s favourite charities is Convoy Aid, which takes donations such as clothes and bedding to needy families in Eastern Europe.

In 2007, when members heard that children in deprived rural parts of Romania needed Wellingtons, they started buying pairs.

Last year, they donated 140 pairs and knitted 70 pairs of socks to go with them.

Members have also sent 14 sacks of school equipment and PE clothes to schools in Malawi.

Rod Jones, of Convoy Aid, which delivered a truckload of donations to Romania before Christmas, said: “Without this kind of support, we just could not make the same difference to people’s lives.

“This group is remarkable; before they sent wellies, there were children with no shoes.

“The families we work with have nothing, so the kindness of people hundreds of miles away is really appreciated.”

The group also does plenty of good work closer to home.

In the past 12 months, it has knitted 200 hats for Save The Children, 200 squares for a peace blanket, tiny outfits for premature babies at three North-East hospitals, and hats and socks for homeless people in Newcastle.

Members made up 92 shoeboxes that were sent to Romania filled with handmade baby clothes and blankets.

The group has also supported the Samaritans, Focus on Africa, St John Ambulance and the Butterwick Hospice.

Treasurer Ann Turner said: “I am extremely proud of this group of ladies because they do so much for so many charities.

“It just takes one lady to mention a good cause she has learnt of and the members start thinking of a way to help.”