A PROJECT bringing elderly care home residents and pre-school children together through a shared love of arts and crafts has proved a success in North Yorkshire.
Residents at Hazelgrove Court Care Home, in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, have been interacting with five and six year old children through Crafting Connections, a project bridging the generational gap to provide benefits for both groups.
The initiative sees arty activities sent out to the participants each month, which they are encouraged to complete in their own time, before sending their creations to each other in the post.
Former schoolteacher Joyce Wooffindin, 83, is one of the residents at Hazelgrove Court Care Home who has been taking part. She has been working with five-year-old Florence, who created a necklace out of penne pasta for Joyce. As part of International Friendship Day, the pair recently shared a FaceTime call.
Joyce said: “Florence told me she was starting school in September, and I told her I would have loved to have a little girl like her in my class back when I was a teacher.
“My call with Florence brought back some wonderful memories of all the children starting school on their first day. I used to settle them in and reassure parents their little ones would be ok.”
Joyce Tibbett, 90, has also been taking part in the project and enjoyed a call with six-year-old Iris. She said: “Despite the age difference, we have so many things in common, one of them being food.
“We recently made fruit kebabs as part of a healthy eating activity and I sent a photo to Iris, who then made one of her own. I think it was wonderful she wanted to do this.
“I can remember when I would have baking sessions with my grandchildren. It brought back such happy memories.”
Fellow resident Betty Wood, 100, has been talking to six-year-old Evie. She said: “It was so kind of Evie to send me a birthday card. It is wonderful I can have such a lovely friendship with Evie even though there is 94 years between us.”
Joyce Baxtrem, 93, has created an art gallery in her room of all the creations sent by her Crafting Connections partner, six-year-old Sam. She was thrilled to show the gallery to the youngster during their recent FaceTime call.
She said: “Now I no longer get pictures from my children, because they’re all grown up, it is great to get these from Sam. It makes me feel special.”
Hazelgrove Court Care Home has been participating in The Crafting Connections project for over two-and-a-half years, with more than 20 residents registered.
The Project is run by The Together Project, a charity that creates intergenerational connections through community activities.
Sharon Lewis, activities coordinator at Hazelgrove Court Care Home, said: “Our residents have built up some amazing friendships over the years we have been taking part in Crafting Connections.
“The FaceTime calls for International Friendship Day was a wonderful experience for both our residents and the children, helping their connections to get stronger.
“We’ve even had a resident who has left the home continue with the project, allowing him to keep the bond with Hazelgrove Court and his arts and crafts pen pal. We have also had a resident pass away, but his wife continues with the friendship that has built up, providing her with a wonderful bond.
“I love Crafting Connections. It has been a great success. It truly helps with our residents’ wellbeing and is a great talking point with their families during visits.”
Louise Goulden, founder and CEO of The Together Project, said: “This project shows time and time again that, though people may be generations apart, we have more in common than that which divides us.”