Central England Co-op host conference showcasing special project between nursery and care home in Leicestershire
Posted by james brindle | Published: 01/11/2019
An extraordinary project between a nursery and care home in Leicestershire creating significant benefits to the two generations taking part has been showcased at a special conference.
The Joining the Generations project was inspired by the Channel 4 series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds and has seen children from Little Stars Nursery in Melton Mowbray make weekly visits to nearby Gretton Court Care Home.
The two generations join together for inspiring sessions of intergenerational play, where the children and residents enjoy music, singing and a range of other activities, bringing health and wellbeing benefits for the residents and developing empathy and communication skills in the youngsters.
Laura Sanders, owner and manager of Little Stars Nursery, has spearheaded the project and has been keen to share the success of the model with others in order to inspire similar intergenerational link-ups.
Therefore, with sponsorship from Central England Co-op which has been a keen supporter of the project, the first Joining the Generations Conference took place at the Salvation Army Centre in Wigston, attended by a range of interested parties, including local government and early years and elderly care providers.
Laura, who was keynote speaker at the conference, said: “We have been so overwhelmed by the success of the project and with the really tangible benefits that have resulted from joining together with Gretton Court.
“The children really enjoy the sessions, they see it as a party but actually the learning benefits are huge as well, developing the children’s gross motor skills and fine motor skills through the kinds of activities we do in the sessions.
“The feedback from the residents of the home has also been amazing. One lady said to me it was the thing that kept her going through the week – to make that kind of impact on their wellbeing is incredible.
“You can see how wonderfully the children and the residents interact and how much joy and excitement is generated by the sessions.
“The model that we have developed is tried and tested and it has been fantastic to share that with others at the Joining the Generations Conference so they can see the long-term benefits this model brings to both young and old alike and hopefully utilise it themselves.”
Karen Bevan, Member and Community Relations Officer at Central England Co-operative, which sponsored the event, opened the Conference and spoke about why the Society wished to support the project.
She said: “Central England Co-operative welcomes the opportunity to work with local communities to make a difference to people’s lives and that is why we are happy to support this truly pioneering project and we were delighted to sponsor this conference thanks to funding from our Southern Membership and Community Council.
“I hope those who have attended the Conference really got a feel for the wonderful impact the project has had and are inspired to see whether this model could work for them.”
To view a special film showing the project in action visit https://youtu.be/8X-edkBxqyA
Notes to editors
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK.
It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, and property investment.
Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2019.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 421390
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop