Following a May Focus Week on Dementia Awareness, Health & Social Care students were set t a task for all students to actively get involved and enter a competition called ‘write a letter to a care home resident’. The uptake and number of entries received was mind blowing and to choose just 20 was extremely difficult but our winner’s letters were recently posted to The Spires Care Home and we soon got a reply.
Our school places a great emphasis on interacting with those around us and the relationship with The Spires Care Home is a firm one that reaps huge benefits. Certainly, the students were overwhelmed at their replies from residents:
George Burgess 7J2 – “I feel warm inside knowing that they have cared to respond to the letter and saying thank you. Gwen saying that she wishes my family and Bobby well. In addition, she refers to what I say in my letter makes me know that they have cared to read it. I am now pleased that I did the letter to cheer her up and make her smile.”
Mary Hughes 10D1 – I found the letter very heart-warming and it made my day to receive a response. It is nice to hear about other people’s experiences in life and how times are different to when they were younger. I would love to write back to my pen pal as it’s nice to offer yourself as someone who an older person can communicate with so they can get a taste of life from different generations and how we’re coping with the pandemic. I think this pen pal scheme should be something everyone considers taking part in as it is a wonderful way to make someone’s day that little bit better.
Freya Mackman 10J1 – I am glad that my resident replied and happy that they loved the pictures of my dogs. It was really nice to hear back from them and hopefully I will visit the care home soon for my Health & Social Care course.
Kim Fallows, Head of Health & Social Care, said: “I honestly did not expect to get the amount of replies from the care home residents and to read some of the lovely letters and inspirational comments to the Friary students was heart-warming. From talk about how life was for them many years ago in the Army to giving their pen pal friend some wise words of wisdom for the future. To see the students faces light up with joy when they were told they had received a reply was amazing to see and we are extremely grateful that we can all pull together despite the last year with COVID and disruptions in life.
Matt Allman, Headteacher, added: “It is a real thrill to keep building on this connection and special thanks must go to Wilma, the Activities Co-ordinator at The Spires Care home, for organising this event and allowing us to have such close links with people in the community. We hugely appreciate the efforts the staff go to in order to allow students to get involved.”
