BLUEBIRD Care, Alton’s multi-award winning home and live in care provider, hosted a Knit ’n’ Natter event for its customers and staff at its office in Cross and Pillory Lane.

Attended by Alton mayor Dean-Paul Phillips, the event brought together many of the care company’s customers to enjoy an afternoon of knitting fidget mitts which, once completed, will be donated to Alton Community Hospital’s Anstey Ward for local dementia patients.

Fidget mitts are a knitted form of a fidget spinner and can help to calm people when they become anxious or distressed.

As care and dementia specialists, Bluebird Care will be hosting these events regularly as they provide an opportunity to meet up and chat with fellow Bluebird customers.

The Bluebird Care Knit ’n’ Natter on Friday, July 14, followed a bingo tea party which the company hosted in earlier in the year.

Bluebird Care owner and director Claire Murphy said: “We love bringing our customers together for fun activities and this one they really got into.

“We get great satisfaction here at Bluebird Care in seeing our customers being active in the local community and enjoying making new friends.

“How wonderful too that the fidget mitts they create will then benefit patients in our local community hospital.”

Mrs Harper, a Bluebird Care customer from Four Marks, said: “I really appreciate the events that Bluebird host as they give me the chance to get out of the house to do something different and meet new people.

“This is wonderful for people who are housebound. They are always something I look forward to.”

The mayor said: “I thoroughly enjoyed Bluebird’s Knit ’n’ Natter event.

“It’s great to see a care company really going above and beyond and the smiles I’ve seen here today really demonstrate that. The patients on Anstey Ward will be delighted to receive the fidget mitts and even I enjoyed a bit of a knitting lesson.”