Keen knitters are needed to help make 6,000 hats to give to newly born babies at a Norwich hospital.

Eastern Daily Press: The different coloured hats are given to newborn babies at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital. The colour signifying how vulnerable they are at any given time. Picture: Neil DidsburyThe different coloured hats are given to newborn babies at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital. The colour signifying how vulnerable they are at any given time. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

Loddon Women's Institute and district members begun the project at Christmas to knit thousands of pieces of headwear in traffic light colours at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Members meet at open house events in the week and have made 100 of the hats since Christmas.

To ensure they can reach their target, they are asking the community to spare time to make hats in red, yellow or green yarn.

More than 5,000 babies are born every year at the hospital.

Eastern Daily Press: Gwyneth Archibald and Carol Erwin from Loddon WI knitting for newborn babies at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Picture: Neil DidsburyGwyneth Archibald and Carol Erwin from Loddon WI knitting for newborn babies at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

The hat colours show the level of risk of each baby, with red meaning a child requiring more observation, amber for those who may require a little more attention because they were born prematurely or of low birth weight, and green meaning routine inspection.

Margaret Whittaker, secretary of Loddon and District WI, said: "The requirement is for 6,000 hats. We are hoping to get to our first 100 very soon.

"We have some amazing knitters, but we have some ladies who come who do not knit.

"They come for the company and the chat and the cake and the tea. They can get involved. We do have people who do not belong to our group who are knitting and supplying us with the hats.

Eastern Daily Press: Members of the Loddon and District Women's Institute have been busy knitting coloured woolly hats for newborn babies at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Picture: Neil DidsburyMembers of the Loddon and District Women's Institute have been busy knitting coloured woolly hats for newborn babies at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

"We aim to get to our first 100 soon."

The group have received donations of wool or purchased it themselves to create the hats, which have a circumference of either 13-16 inches (33-41cm) or 11-inches (28cm).

Mrs Whittaker estimated the smaller hats took around 30 minutes to make and the larger from 45 minutes to an hour.

She added: "They do not take very long because they are very small."

Members are also hard at work making trauma teddies, which are carried by emergency crews to be given to distressed children.

All WI groups within the Norfolk Federation are taking part to make the teddies, which they will bring along to the Theatre Royal for their annual meeting in April.

Mrs Whittaker added: "There should be hundreds of trauma teddies turning up at the Theatre Royal in April and we have got quite a few."

If you would like to get involved with the traffic light hat project, visit https://loddon.org.uk/loddonwp/wi/ to find out more.