Crafty campaigners have been overwhelmed by the success of their appeal for York Special Care Baby Unit.

Makers Dozen - Make and Donate, a group set up by friends Lucy Hart and Di Morse, has provided more than 1,000 hats to help keep premature babies warm at York Hospital.

This is despite the two mums only starting their campaign in November - and the production rate is only getting faster.

Mrs Hart, 34, of Armstrong Way, Rawcliffe, said: "They have been coming in so thick and fast, my sewing table is under an absolute cloud of them.

"We have had some from Ireland and Canada due to our Facebook group.

"Di and I run a little crochet group and they have got involved too.

"If anybody wants the pattern, I send it out.

"It just seems to be spreading. it has caught us by surprise.

"I didn't ever think 1,000 was a target. The fact that we have got there already is just crazy."

Mrs Hart's son Aston, who is now five, was supported by the SCBU after he was born, which got and Mrs Morse, 33, from Sheriff Hutton, thinking.

"We did it together because she is Aston's godmother," said Mrs Hart.

"She said we should do something to make the hats.

"I though Di and I would crochet as many as we could, but I never imagined the number of people we have got involved. It's amazing."

The hats are given to the premature babies as soon as they are born.

Makers Dozen have designated drop-off points around the York area and the pair deliver the hats to the hospital themselves.

Mrs Hart added: "A couple of months ago my cousin gave birth to a baby girl 11 weeks early, so baby Grace had quite a long stay in SCBU, and she was given a hat that had been made by our group!

"That really brought home to us just how important the hats are. Grace is home now and is thriving."

Having proved so successful, they will now look at crocheting other items of clothing for the babies and see if other places in York might need them.

"The hospital need 3,500 a year, so I suppose we are on track for giving them that many," said Mrs Hart.

The name indicates the number of hats they hope people will produce in one batch Mrs Hart said: "It took me ages to come up with because I didn't want anything too cheesy.

"I didn't want people sending in just one or two hats."

To find out more about the group, visit http://facebook.com/yorkmakersdozen