A BIG-hearted group of volunteers have provided dozens of comfort blankets for adopted children.

Pickering Patchers, which meets weekly in the town, donated the hand-made quilts to Open Nest, a charity which provides families with adopted children support and information.

The charity, which is based in Whitby, also offers short breaks in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, with respite care for children with special needs.

The Pickering Patchers chose the charity following a talk by local resident Janet McGregor, a coordinator for Project Linus UK.

A volunteer organisation, Project Linus aims to provide a sense of security and comfort to sick and traumatised babies, children and teenagers through the provision of new home made patchwork quilts and knitted or crocheted blankets.

It began in the USA in 1995, vame to the UK five years later and now has a large network of volunteers who donate their time and skills to create and redistribute blankets and quilts.

"We cannot reach out to every distressed child, but we can help to provide them with tangible evidence that someone cares, along with the physical reassurance that comes with being snuggled up in a quilt," said Janet.

"Pickering Patchers wanted to give the children who use Open Nest something that they can take home and which belongs to them.”