HOSPICE patients are being offered the chance to create a record of their lives by making a gift for their families.

The project, called I Remember It Well, is run by volunteers at St Catherine's Whitby Day Hospice.

They are helping patients to capture their memories on film or tape.

The hope is that the tapes, created by people with serious, progressive illnesses, will be a way for them to leave their families a record of their experiences and the kind of person they were.

Nova Newlyn, one of the volunteers leading the project, said: "Instead of people sitting at home writing their memories in book form, as many people do, these will be spoken memories, a chance for generations to come to see that person, hear what they sounded like.

"They will be able to hear their dialect, listen to their laughter, share their sense of humour. It will mean so much more than words on a page and photographs in an album."

Patients who choose to get involved will soon have the chance to make an audio tape, video or DVD alongside a volunteer.