£5m lottery winner from Chorley gets knitting for dementia during lockdown

Debbie Mather is part of a team of winners who are knitting a collection of ‘twiddlemuffs’ – designed to help those with dementia – and other knitted items for Age Concern Lancashire.

Debbie, from Chorley, won a £5M Lotto jackpot in 2005.

Picking up her knitting needles, Debbie said, “Now is the perfect time for this project as we stay home and keep safe. I absolutely love the idea of spreading a bit of cheer with our knitted treats and it definitely helps to keep the mind busy during these uncertain times.

MORE: The Prime Minister tests positive for coronavirus“I’m looking forward to getting started on the twiddlemuffs and excited to see what we all come up with, and how many we can create together!”

Age Concern Central Lancashire has agreed to distribute the items which have been knit by the lottery winners to hundreds of vulnerable and elderly as soon as the lockdown restrictions are lifted and it is safe to hand-out such items.

The focus of the latest knitting campaign has been around Twiddlemuffs which are used to both provide comfort and stimulate older minds.

Twiddlemuffs are double thickness hand muffs with bits and bobs attached inside and out, such as buttons, pompoms, textured and shiny objects.

They are designed to provide a stimulation activity for restless hands and patients living with dementia.

Suzanne Carr, CEO, from Age Concern Central Lancashire, added, “This is a great example of a small deed that can go a long way, these will definitely bring lots of smiles to our dementia customers and particularly their carers at this difficult time.”

The winners have also been knitting cannula covers for special care baby units across the country, together with colour-coded clothes for premature babies enabling staff members to instantly see the care they require according to the colour of their clothing.

These and other items will be handed over as soon as the charities are happy to receive them.

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