GRANDMA elf Margaret “Joan” Eddy, 87, has been celebrating Christmas with baby elves during an intergenerational Teesside yoga class.
The youngsters have been visiting Ingleby Care Home, on Lamb Lane, Ingleby Barwick, for Kalma Baby Yoga classes with their mothers.
During the latest Christmas themed session, resident Joan dressed as grandma elf for a heart warming festive photo.
With a backdrop of a Christmas tree, stockings and a warm fire, Joan cradled the babies while they enjoyed a display of bubbles.
She said: “I absolutely love kids and making children happy. Having the babies in the home is lovely. Holding them takes me back to having babies of my own.”
Kirsty O’Connor, activities coordinator at Ingleby Care Home, said: “The photo of Joan with the babies is what Christmas is all about.
“We’ve become one big happy family with the Kalma Yoga babies and their mums and the residents have become adopted grannies for all the little ones.
“Joan is visually impaired but that doesn’t stop her from enjoying activities, especially with the babies. She loves to listen to them chatting and cooing. It takes her back to being a mum and nanna herself.
“Thank you so much to baby yoga facilitator Sophie Elizabeth for helping to create so many meaningful moments for residents.”
The Kalma Baby Yoga sessions have been taking place at Ingleby Care Home during school term times throughout the year.
They are organised in conjunction with Teesside Dementia Link Services, which provides support to those with dementia and their carers in the area.
Babies as young as six weeks and residents over 90 years of age have been participating – stretching, chatting and playing together.
Lisa Aaron, from Kalma Life Teesside, said: “The classes at Ingleby Care Home are often emotional and humbling as the benefits are clear to see in the smiles of parents, babies, and residents alike.
“We have found that the joy of the babies visiting their older friends has a lasting effect. One service user said that the happy ripples are seen for days afterwards.
“We also get to see a huge increase in residents’ physical activity, as they join in and encourage the little ones, and loneliness and social boundaries are broken down as parents and residents create new connections.”
The Kalma Baby Yoga sessions take place at Ingleby Care Home every Monday afternoon during school term times. To learn more or book a session visit www.kalmalifeuk.co.uk/middlesbrough/.