A BOURNEMOUTH firm have responded to an appeal by nurses for 'twiddle mitts' to help dementia patients.

Specialist nurses at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBCH) launched an appeal in February for handy knitters to create the mittens and handwarmers with beans, buttons and other bits and bobs sewn in.

They are designed to help provide some stimulation and a focus for dementia sufferers being treated at the hospital.

Since each pair can only be provided to one patient there is constant demand, and staff at firm FTS Construction Recruitment have been helping to fulfil it after reading about the appeal in the Daily Echo.

The company's managing director Jared Lee, whose grandmother suffered with Alzheimer’s disease for many years, said: "Being a local business with three team members having worked in the care sector in their earlier career, this initiative struck a chord so we thought we would have fun learning a new skill whilst supporting a great cause.

"We downloaded the instructions from the RBCH website, had a lesson from a keen knitter in the company then took time out during lunchtimes to create the mitts.

"The count currently stands at twenty but we’re still going strong."

He said his staff would be grateful for spare wool to be dropped off at the company's office in Hinton Road.

Instructions on how to knit twiddle mitts can be found on the RBCH website and the completed garments can be dropped off at the designated box in the hospital atrium or at the Bournemouth University's Lansdowne campus.

The project was started by a group of students from the university who were tasked with making an improvement to the local health service, and was praised by hospital staff.

Dementia nurse specialist Rachael Davies said: "The twiddle mitts can really reduce stress levels for patients with cognitive difficulties."

To get a pattern email communications@rbch.nhs.uk or visit the RBCH Facebook page.