MORE THAN 500 knitted blue Forget Me Not flowers have decorated the streets of Malvern to help make the town become more dementia friendly.
The woollen flowers were placed around Barnards Green and Great Malvern town centre today (Tuesday) in preparation for National Dementia Awareness Week which runs from Sunday, May 14 to Saturday, May 20.
Malvern Hills District Council recently appealed for keen knitters to create the flowers for the Alzheimer Society’s Dementia Friends campaign which aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition.
And the council is encouraging people to find a knitted flower and become a Dementia Friend by attending one of the free sessions detailed on it.
Those who take part in a session will gain a better understanding of the condition, know how to act more sympathetically towards people living with dementia as well as contributing to make Malvern become a more dementia friendly community.
Rachel Vann, physical activity and well-being officer for Malvern Hills District Council, said: “The response was overwhelming and we are really grateful for everyone who took part and spent their time knitting for an important campaign.
“We hope people will enjoy the colourful flowers on display and would encourage anyone to take a pretty flower home, attend a session, and become a dementia friend.”
The one hour Dementia Friends sessions will take place in the Council Chamber, Great Malvern at 10am next Wednesday (May 17) and 6pm next Thursday (May 18).
According to the Dementia UK report there are 1,486 people living with the condition in the Malvern Hills district.
