Care home residents and pupils have attended an event at Leeds Civic Hall to share and celebrate friendships between primary schools and care homes across the city.
Marjorie, a resident from Aire View Care Home in Broad Lane, visited Year 3 pupils from Whitecote Primary School in Bramley. She told them about her life and answered the children’s questions.
The event shared stories of how intergenerational linking between young people and care home residents is shown to improve wellbeing and mental health outcomes for both!
“It is a nice programme that showed us how to make connections,” said Tobias Ellis, a year 3 pupil at Whitecote.
“I like meeting new people,” added Whitecote’s Edith Greaveson.
Sam Edwards, year 5 at Bramley St Peters, said: “It’s like a chain reaction. You give love and get love back.”
The event was organised by Leeds DEC, an educational charity that has been funded by the iwill Foundation, Dunhill Medical Trust, the Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport to run a programme supporting links between schools and care homes for the last 18 months.
It has been part of a national social action project that connected young people aged 5-14 from schools and youth groups across 11 areas of England during 2019- 2022.
Leeds DEC is hoping to attract more funding from local trusts and benefactors to enable them to continue this valuable work with schools and Care Homes across West Leeds.
