KEEN knitters from across Stockton Borough are doing their bit to help support people living with dementia.
They are using their skills to make tactile woollen hand muffs.
The garments, called Twiddlemuffs, provide a visual and sensory stimulation whilst keeping the hands snug and warm. Each band is adorned with ribbons, decorations and different textures which can be twiddled by restless hands.
Now Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is calling on knitting groups and individual knitters young and old to create their own Twiddlemuffs.
Packs can be purchased from ‘All About Wool’ in Stockton Town Centre. Priced at £5, £2 goes direct to the Alzheimer’s Society. Free knitting instructions are available from Stockton Borough libraries, the LiveWell Dementia Hub in Thornaby and online at www.stockton.gov.uk/twiddlemuffs
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Health, Councillor Jim Beall, said: “It’s heartening to see so many people already helping to make these wonderfully simple yet highly effective knitted aids. People living with dementia often have restless hands so these Twiddlemuffs are a really good idea as they keep their hands busy.”
The project is running until 19 December. All completed Twidlemuffs will be donated to local care homes and hospitals. They can be handed into a Stockton Borough branch library or the LiveWell Dementia Hub, Thornaby.
For more information visit www.stockton.gov.uk/twiddlemuffs, emailLivewell.Hub@stockton.gov.uk or call 01642 527363.