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Description
In 2016 Joanne Harris founded the Knitted Knockers of NI, a group based in the Courtyard at Brownlow House, which supply free handmade breast prosthetics for breast cancer survivors across Northern Ireland.
This video was produced by the Lurgan Townscape Heritage Scheme which is supported by the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and the Lottery Players, through The National Lottery Heritage Scheme. Find out more at: www.lurgantownscapeheritage.com
A
Thank
you,
so
my
friend
I've
known
Linda
for
almost
five
and
she
took
breast
cancer
and
at
the
time
I
bought
her
a
post-surgery
bra,
which
was
a
size
too
small.
And
then
we
went
down
to
the
shop
to
get
a
resize,
and
the
lady
in
the
shop
asked
her
what
she
felt
about
the
prosthetic,
and
so
it
was
a
heavy
silicone
prosthetic.
A
So
it's
a
worldwide
organization,
so
I
emailed
her
in
the
middle
of
the
night,
and
she
moved
me
straight
back
saying
to
where
I
start
up,
because
I
was
just
looking
to
buy
one
and
so
anyway,
I
then
went
ahead
and
net
one
for
Linda
with
a
lot
of
help
from
a
friend.
Anyway.
It
was
Linda's
reaction.
Whenever
she
tried
it
like,
she
said
it
was
the
first
time
she
felt
normal
since
the
operation
and
then
about
maybe
about
a
month
later.
A
We
decided
to
put
a
wee
paragraph
in
the
Lurgan
mail
and
we're
done
times
asking
for
Knitters
and
about
1670.
Women
turned
up
in
the
Sago
Hotel
we'd
reserved
a
room
for
16
people,
so
that
was
a
huge
shock
and
then,
from
that
day
then
I
invited
women
to
come
to
my
home
and
they
went
through
the
knitting
pattern.
So
it's
knit
on
four
needles
and
they
all
learned
the
pattern
and
then
the
Civic
Center.
They
were
at
the
time
he
sponsored
the
knitting.
A
So
all
the
idea
was
that
everyone
would
come
together
and
knit
together,
and
so
they
did
a
sponsored
knitting
and
raised
1846
Pine
and
that
money
then
went
to
buy
wool
and
needles
for
the
next
and
that's
just
really
how
we
work
and
we
then,
at
the
by
the
December
that
was
in
the
we
were
founded
on
the
4th
of
July.
So
by
the
December
that
year
we
had
delivered
a
hundred
netted
knockers,
which
I
thought
was
huge,
but
now
we're
delivering
5
000
a
year
and
we
link
with
Gordon's
chemist.
A
So
anyone
all
over
Northern
Ireland
if
you're
in
coolery,
and
then
you
want
another
naugur.
You
just
ordered
in
the
car
and
Gordon's
chemist,
and
then
we
delivered
to
the
Lurgan
one
and
it
goes
back
to
Korean
through
their
internal
transport.
We
would
have
the
me
and
coordinate
in
grape
there's
about
72.
they're
based
all
around
Lurgan
portadown
and
then
I
would
have
women
knitting
all
throughout
Northern,
Northern
Ireland.
You
know
so
with
Florence
Court
grape
with
Don,
Donald
and
Rachel,
and
it's
just
just
different
groups
will
pick
it
up
yeah.
A
So
we
have
the
netherknocker
and
it's
knit
with
100
cotton
yarn
and
then
they
they
swim
and
knocker.
Isn't
it
with
100
acrylic,
yarn
or
wool,
and
it
means
that
the
water
just
pivots
off
the
acrylic,
so
women
are
more
confident
than
whenever
they're
swimming.
It's
stuffed
by
with
the
scrunchie
out
of
the
jar
so
and
with
lots
of
stories
of
different
things
that
have
happened
to
women.
A
In
the
Sherman,
if
they
swim
with
a
heavy
silicone
one,
sometimes
it
ends
up
in
the
in
the
bottom
of
the
pool
which
you
know
they
laugh
about
it
afterwards.
But
it's
it's
really
stressful
at
the
time.
So
we
added
are
we
Loop
to
the
American
pattern,
which
leaps
around
the
strap
of
a
bra
or
a
swimsuit
as
well,
which
keeps
it
in
position
and
makes
it
more
comfortable
and
secure.
We
then
also
about
four
months
after
it
started.
A
I
received
a
cushion
from
I'm,
a
sure,
Optimus,
so
sure
Optimus
in
Portugal,
sent
me
this
heart-shaped
cushion
and
that
they
made
for
underarms
post
surgery.
So
it
goes
under
the
arm
and
it
also
keeps
the
arm
away
after
doing
reconstruction
surgery,
and
we
also
then
developed
a
drain
bag
with
the
Consultants.
So
it's
a
double
dream
bag
and
it
ties
around
the
waist
meaning
that
people
then
can
be
free
to
make
tea
or
you
know,
go
shopping
or
whatever
they
need
to
after
surgery,
because
most
people
would
go
home
with
their
dreams.
Now.
B
First
of
all,
I
met
you
and
them
years
ago,
at
a
craft
class.
She
was
there
talking
about
and
that
it
now
Grace
and
then
I
did
get
involved
the
bed
then,
but
then
my
sister
took
cancer
and
it
passed
away
a
year
and
a
half
ago,
so
I
have
started
to
do
a
bit
of
sewing,
so
so
the
bags
the
questions
like
these
have
to
be
stuffed
yet
that
the
dream
bags,
the
bag
for
carrying
cushioning.
C
Well,
there
was
an
advert
in
the
paper
and
my
friend
Barbara
messaged
me
and
she
says:
would
you
like
to
come
along
to
say
good
tonight?
There's
a
thing
on
about
a
new
knitting
group,
starting
I,
said:
I
sure
why
not
so
we
went
along
and
it
was
about
100.
Ladies
turned
up
a
lot
of
them
are
still
there.
Six
years
later,
so
we've
been
here
right
from
day
one
knitting.
We
all
ended
up
in
Joanne's
house
going
over
the
pattern
and
learning,
and
then
that
enabled
us
to
teach
other.
C
Ladies
coming
in
I,
well
I
love
Newton
to
start
with
a
crochet
as
well,
because
we're
doing
the
crochet
knockers
for
the
swimmers
too
and
I
do
both.
So
you
can
alternate
back
and
forth,
give
yourself
a
wee
break.
Then
we
do
we
knit
for
the
stall
and
sell
stuff
to
try
and
raise
a
bit
of
money.
So
it's
a
very
sociable
thing:
I
mean
we
meet
here,
the
one
twice
a
month.
C
I'll
look
at
the
cracks,
maybe
really
is,
and
that's
one
of
the
reasons
I
got
involved
at
the
start,
because
my
parents
both
died,
a
cancer
within
about
five
months
of
each
other
life,
far
enough
that
in
the
breast
cancer,
but
there
wasn't
much
I
could
do
to
help
with
their
tapes
to
counter.
But
this
way
you
feel
you're
giving
something
back
unless
you're
helping
somebody,
you
know
so
yeah.
It's
great.