Inventor designs left-handed pen

The pen has been designed with an "S" bend neck and ergonomic grip

An inventor from Bristol has helped to design a pen for left-handed people after his daughter had difficulty learning to write when starting school.

Tony Hemmings was concerned that his left-handed daughter, Amy, was becoming withdrawn when she was slower than other children at writing.

He helped make the "Swan Neck Pen" prototype and her progress improved.

Amy is now 13 and her father decided to invest in the design which is now in full production with a UK manufacturer.

'Left-handers were struggling'

The pen has an "S" bend neck and ergonomic grip, which the design team claims makes it easy for left-handers to pick up immediately and write comfortably.

People who are left-handed often use one of a number of styles to enable them to see what they are writing.

According to the design team, these include 'the hook' where the hand is hooked at the wrist, 'the underwriter' where the page is positioned at different angles and 'the fist' where people who hold the pen gripped in a fist.

Tony Hemmings said: "We had no idea that so many left-handers were struggling. It is not just in the UK, as there are over one billion left-handed people around the world who would benefit from this pen.

"What is doubly exciting for us is that we have realised there is also a massive market for right-handers who write from right to left, as in Arabic or in some Asian languages.

The pen is perfect for them too as it enables them to see what they are writing."

The pen was designed by Tony Hemming's neighbour Mike Deacon who said: "Our dream is to get the "Swan Neck Pen" as standard issue in all primary schools, as it can be used as easily by both left and right-handed writers.

This would be the birth of a new era, where all left-handed children can use the same pen as right-handed children and learn to write with ease.

We hope this will finally put an end to any stigma associated with being left-handed."