A FASHION designer has made a picnic blanket to help people stick to social distancing while seeing family and friends outdoors.

Celine Zara Constantinides, from Whalley, designed the picnic blanket with five squares where four people may sit the correct two-metre distance from each other.

Priced at £25, the blankets come in various designs and are made to order.

Miss Constantinides said: “So many people do not stay two metres apart and they cannot judge by eye how far they should be.

“This is helpful to see family and friends at a safe distance.

“The reason my blanket is unique is because normally when people try to socially distance, as soon as they move around they are not two metres apart.

“My blanket is set up in a way that eliminates this problem, so you’ll be safe at all times.”

The blanket can be folded up easily and carried around like a bag.

While the original is light pink with check designs, there are other designs available.

Since lockdown began, Miss Constantinides has been unable to go home to see her parents as her sister needs to shield.

She said: “All my machinery is there, but this new project has come out of it and it is for my sister really.

“I can’t go anywhere near her and I was thinking if ways to be able to see her without putting her in danger.

“I tested it with a friend recently, she sat on one end and I sat on the other, it was really nice.”

The designer runs The Healthy Coffee Shop in Darwen but it will shut by the end of July.

She said: “My heart has always been in fashion and with the café I have little time for designing. I always wanted to go back into fashion.

“I think my only problem has been getting the fabric because at the moment it’s hard to get hold of it, but I am going one day at a time."

Users can also pull in one or more squares if they do not need all four.

She said: “I don’t think we will go back to normal for a while, so this is a way to meet and still be safe.”

The blanket is available at celinezaradesign.co.uk/