An animated film which aims to banish modern misconceptions about what hospicecare is has been released.

The Arts Therapy team at Weldmar Hospicecare work with patients and family members using a wide range of activities.

The aim is to offer people opportunities to express themselves, rekindle skills and maybe gain new ones.

During 2017, the team worked with more than 50 patients, family members, volunteers and members of staff to create an animation that set-out to challenge people's misconceptions about what a modern day hospice is.

Eileen Haste, arts therapist for Weldmar Hospicecare, said: "People who attend Weldmar's day services are at a significant, and sometimes challenging, time in life and opportunities to experience yourself as a person, not just a patient, are invaluable in maintaining a positive sense of identity.

"All of the people who worked on the animation felt strongly that they wanted to express their feelings to a wider audience about their actual experience of the hospice, and what a positive role it has played in their lives."

The Arts Therapy team at Weldmar ran regular animation workshops at each of the five day servies they run, in Bridport, Dorchester, Sherborne, Weymouth and Blandford.

Participants were involved from the outset, with story boarding, then illustrating images, assembling and animating the scenes, and recording voice overs.

Those who participated in the project described how they had at first been worried about accessing Weldmar services because of the perceptions they themselves held about what would await them.

One person involved said: "My first thoughts about what a hospice might be, is that it is somewhere where you go to do or perhaps just be extremely ill for several weeks.

Another said: "The first thing I thought about is that everyone just sits about."

Eileen said: "As it turned out, this misconception of what a hospice is was not the only one the project addressed.

"It could be easy to make the assumption that people attending a hospice would not have the capacity to come together to produce an animation.

"In fact, people were brimming with ideas.

"The animation expresses beautifully that the hospice can be a very lively place to be in and that even while living with a terminal illness, people are able to embrace and engage with each other and the modest yet expansive ideas that come their way."

The The video can be viewed on Weldmar's website now at weld-hospice.org.uk/teacup or watch it below