College students have brightened the lives of patients with dementia visiting the sensory garden at Ellesmere Port hospital.

Art and design students from West Cheshire College designed and created a series of sculptural pieces specifically created for patients with dementia who enjoy the garden at the Chester Road hospital.

One of the students involved in the project, Eva Turner, 18, from Neston, said: “It was a wonderful project to work on.

“We were asked to design something that people could touch or that made a noise, something that may spark a memory for people who have dementia.

“I created two giant metal flowers which were very colourful and made with beads, a sort of dream catcher. It was a very interesting project to work on and we all had to be very inventive when creating our ideas.”

READ:West Cheshire College tutor wins education prize

Other students involved in the works of art included Jennifer Brennan, 17, from Ellesmere Port, Corey Teece-Millington, 18, from Neston and Nicole Staff, 20, from Chester.

Lesley Johnson, hospital administrator, commented: “This was a great community project involving young people from West Cheshire College and our patients here at Ellesmere Port Hospital.

“The brief was to create sculptures that helped to stimulate our patients’ senses when they visit the garden.

“The end result has been fantastic and some of the designs are certainly very unusual and have become a real talking point here at the hospital.”

READ:Former West Cheshire College art students appear in international glossy Vogue

As well as the sculptural pieces, the students also designed some tiles for the garden which include dementia friendly phrases and the forget-me-knot flower, a symbol for the Alzheimer Society’s Dementia Friends project.

Referring to the works of art Louise Condon, art and design teacher at the college, added: “This was a fantastic enrichment project for our students and demonstrates how art can stimulate emotions on so many different levels.

“It was a very successful project and we are delighted that the hospital was thrilled with the results.”