Hospital patients missing a hand to hold can keep their loved ones close to their hearts thanks to hand-knitted comforts.
With most visiting at Ninewells Hospital suspended, Dundee volunteers have been lovingly fashioning pairs of wool hearts, one for the patient and one for a relative or friend, to help them feel closer.
The hearts are being knitted by members of the Dundee Inner Wheel Club and distributed by volunteers of the Tayside Health Fund gift shop, on the hospital’s concourse.
Club secretary Beverley Horner, who has been knitting the hearts, said: “The idea is that one heart is for the patient to keep and to know that they are dearly loved and the other is for a family member.
“Some members of the club have always volunteered at the Trust shop and it is through the shop we are able to distribute our hearts, safely.
“Hopefully they are able to give some comfort to someone feeling vulnerable and isolated at the moment.”
The shop was founded as the Keyhole Kate charity in 1996 by Dr Jacqui Wood, a member of Dundee’s Inner Wheel.
As well as the hearts, club members have been making hats for baby patients and “twiddlemuffs” for dementia patients, which provide stimulation for restless hands.
