A team of young knitting stars have come up with a “purl” of an idea to help people with dementia.
Residents Sue Mullaley and Sara Baur along with Pupil Chantelle Jones (centre) Skye Edwards, Pendines Nicky Clarke, Sarah Edwards, teacher Anna Gordon, Pendines James Wallice, Chris Jones and pupil Skye EdwardsThe five pupils from Llay CP School have made twiddle blankets and mitts for the residents of Pendine Park in Wrexham.
They were given a warm welcome when they presented their natty gifts at the Bryn Bella care home.
Among the pupils who came was Hannah Singleton, 10, whose grandmother is a resident there.
She said: “I come to visit her quite a lot. My Grandma taught me to knit a bit and Mrs Gordon at school.
“I enjoyed making the twiddle blankets and I think the residents will use them a lot. I enjoyed meeting the residents and seeing how pleased they are with the twiddle blankets we have made.”
Pendine Park’s consultant artist-in-residence, Sarah Edwards, revealed it was the children themselves who came up with the idea of creating twiddle blankets after visiting their intergenerational workshops at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
She said: “Anna Gordon, a teacher at Llay CP School asked whether children could make twiddle blankets for residents of our care homes who havedementia.
“Twiddle blankets and muffs are small knitted sections of blanket that have buttons, ribbons and other small harmless items attached to them.
“They can be very comforting for people with dementia who can become agitated. Being able to sit and basically fiddle with or examine the attached objects helps keen them calm.
“It has a calming effect and it’s clearly something some dementia sufferers find therapeutic.”
Teacher Anna Gordon explained: “We were looking for a new project after making dog blankets for Battersea Dogs Home. My colleague Margaret Davies overheard a conversation about the merits of twiddle blankets and how they can help agitated dementia sufferers.
“We talked to Sarah Edwards while we were on a trip to the Llangollen Eisteddfod and decided we’d tackle the blankets as our next project.”
She added: “Five girls have stuck with the project from the start. None of them could really knit before and I’m so proud of what they have achieved.
“It’s lovely, having been invited to Bryn Bella, that the girls can see for themselves how their hard work will benefit some residents.
“It’s been an amazing project and perhaps after the summer holidays we can look at making some more and getting even more children involved.”
Betty Millington relaxes in the comfort of the twiddle blankets made by pupils Skye Edwards, Chantelle Jones and Bella Edwards along with Pendine’s Artist in Residence Sarah Edwards and school teacher Anna GordonChantelle Jones, 10, was proud of what she and her fellow knitters had achieved.
