A CARE home in York has introduced a new 'Covid bear' to lift the spirits of residents and remind them of the guidelines in place.

The Lodge care home in Heslington has created 'Colin the Covid bear', which is a small knitted bear fully infection controlled as he is in his own bag.

They introduced Colin as a "fun and light hearted," reminder for the residents of the guidelines they are all following in order to keep everyone safe and well throughout the pandemic.

He has been utilised to convey what is a very important message in a non-serious way.

A spokesperson for the home said: "We think our residents have responded really positively to this approach.

"We find that having something more visual and dynamic to reinforce the message is useful."

Colin is fitted with personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as hand sanitizer.

The spokesperson went on to say: "This is a light hearted approach which we have used to help us reinforce what is obviously a very serious message and with getting through what has been a difficult time for everyone in the industry and the wider community."