OVER 500 knitted blue forget-me-not flowers will soon decorate the streets in a bid to help Malvern become more dementia friendly.

Malvern Hills District Council recently appealed for keen knitters to create as many flowers as they could for the Alzheimer Society’s Dementia Friends campaign.

The flowers will be placed around Barnards Green and Great Malvern Town Centre from tomorrow (Tuesday, May 9, May in preparation for National Dementia Awareness Week, which runs from May 14 to 20 May.

The flower is the symbol of the Dementia Friends campaign, which aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition.

The council are encouraging people to find a knitted flower and become a dementia friend by attending one of the free sessions detailed on the flower.

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 and contribute to helping Malvern become a more dementia-friendly community.

The one-hour sessions will take place in the Council Chamber, Avenue Road, on Wednesday, May 17, at 10am, and the following day at 6pm.

Rachel Vann, the council's physical activity and well-being officer, 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."