Special project between nursery and care home in Leicestershire showcased in new film ahead of conference
Posted by james brindle | Published: 18/06/2019
An extraordinary project in Leicestershire inspired by a popular Channel 4 documentary series has been showcased in a new film highlighting its benefits to the two generations taking part.
The film tells the story of the Joining the Generations project, inspired by the Channel 4 series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, which 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.
The sessions have proved a major success 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, is passionate about the benefits of intergenerational play.
She said: “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 in the film 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 we now want to share that with others so they can see the long-term benefits this model brings to both young and old alike and hopefully utilise it themselves.”
Other care homes and nurseries interested in hearing more about the project are being urged to attend the Joining the Generations Conference later this month, a joint initiative between Little Stars and Central England Co-op, where Laura will be keynote speaker.
Aimed at day care/early years and care home providers and employees, the conference will explore and share the benefits of engaging children in the wider community, showcasing and sharing good practice based on the relationship between Little Stars and Gretton Court.
Karen Bevan, Member and Community Relations Officer at Central England Co-operative, which is sponsoring the event, said: “We have seen first-hand the wonderful success of the project between Little Stars and Gretton Court and Central England Co-operative welcomes the opportunity to work with local communities to make a difference to people’s lives.
“That is why we are happy to support this truly pioneering project and I would encourage other nurseries, care homes and providers to come along to this fantastic free conference to see whether this model could work for them.”
The Joining the Generations Conference takes place between 9.30am and 3.30pm on Friday, 28 June at the Salvation Army Centre in Ladysmith Road in Wigston.
It is free to attend, with refreshments and food also free thanks to funding from the Southern Membership and Community Council at Central England Co-op.
Places are limited so those interested are urged to book early to avoid disappointment at http://ow.ly/FgzK30oTDcS
To view the film in full 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