STAFF and residents at a Pershore care home picked up the knitting needles to raise awareness of dementia.

For Dementia Awareness Week, Heathlands Residential Care Home in Station Road hand-knitted blue and yellow forget-me-not flowers to help decorate the streets of Malvern.

The campaign – set by Malvern Town Council –helped to help the town become more dementia friendly by raising awareness of the Alzheimer’s Society’s annual awareness drive.

Heathlands activities leader Natasha Craddock said: "It is so important that more and more people understand dementia, there is a real taboo around it and there shouldn’t be.

"People living with dementia can still live happy and contented lives, it’s just understanding how you can support people.

"I’m thrilled we are doing our bit to help Malvern become dementia-friendly and support raising awareness – and we had a lot of fun doing it."

Resident Janet Martin, 96 said: “I love to knit, especially when it’s going to a charitable cause.”

Fellow resident Irene Dalton added: “We’ve all been knitting together and it’s been a great laugh and lovely to make something so interesting.”

Residents and staff knitted flowers, which is the symbol of the Dementia Friends campaign.