A 90-year-old veteran knitted all his neighbours beanies at Christmas to repay them for their kindness following the loss of his wife.
Allan Wheatley, who has lived in Beenham for 25 years, lost his wife Margaret in 2023.
He wanted to show his gratitude to his neighbours who had supported him through his grief by knitting them all a woolly hat as a Christmas present.
Allan Wheatley knitted beanies for all his Beenham neighbours as a thank you present for supporting him during his grief after his wife Margaret died
Mr Wheatley, a veteran of 42 years, spent most of his time in the forces as part of the Queen’s Own Highlanders infantry regiment which was part of the British Army’s Scottish Division from 1961 to 1994.
He saw action in the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt as well as in Aden, a city in Yemen.
He was taught how to knit while he was a patient in the British Military Hospital in Hanover as part of his recovery after breaking his arm following what Allan called “an argument with a tank while on exercise in Germany”.
Mr Wheatley found that his knitting skills came in handy during his several years of service as he used to knit all of his own socks he wore as a soldier.