Members of a branch of the girl guiding organisation have been hard at work knitting to help hospital patients.

Dorchester Trefoil have donated a record 46 blankets, 24 shawls and 18 twiddlemuffs to the Barnes Ward at Dorset County Hospital.

Since the group began almost three years ago, members have created and donated almost 200 memory blankets which are used as bed toppers in the Barnes and Day-Lewis wards to help each patient remember which is their bed and to make the ward look more like home.

A spokesman said: "Trefoil members, as part of the girl guiding organisation love to help in the community and knitting for our local hospital is a perfect way for many of us to contribute.

"This project is now so popular that several non-Trefoil members have joined the project, knitting squares, shawls, twiddlemuffs and even whole blankets for DCH."

The Trefoil slogan is ‘fun and friendship’ and the group recently travelled to Bath for a two night stay, visiting the Royal Crescent and the museum there, the Fashion Museum, the Roman baths and the Thermae Spa, the Postal Museum, the Victoria art gallery and Marks & Spencer!

Dorchester Trefoil's new evening group – the Hardy Perennials - recently took part in a photo shoot for the Trefoil Guild’s national magazine – The Trefoil.

They were photographed posing by the Town Pump in Dorchester and the photographer was Frances Parrett, the National PR adviser who came from HQ to take the pictures.

The evening group was started so that people who work during the day can join Trefoil too and take part in evening and weekend activities.

Trefoil is the adult section of girlguiding and welcomes anyone who supports guiding or scouting and wishes to share activities with like-minded people.

The next evening meeting is on October 12 and it will be a fun skittles evening. The afternoon group meets in St Georges’ Church Hall in Fordington on the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.

In November the speaker will be from the Hearing Dogs organisation. There are café catch-ups in between main meetings and the knit and natter group also meets regularly.

If you would like further information, please contact Judy Thompson (jct231@outlool.com) or Jeane Holmes (chairman) on 01305 753417.

Dorchester Trefoil is appealing for any leftover wool, especially double knitting wool, to continue their knitting endeavours.

It can be collected locally by emailing Judy at jct231@outlook.com and anyone who wishes to contribute by knitting should get in touch for details of blanket sizes.