OLDER people from Solihull and children from St Thomas C of E Academy have come together to share a love of books and reading as part of a partnership between Bupa and the National Literacy Trust.
The initiative, Generations of Stories, funded by the Bupa Foundation and Bupa Care Services aims to improve rates of reading for enjoyment in children, which is linked to educational progress and mental wellbeing.
Similarly, meaningful social interactions and positive relationships have been shown to boost wellbeing in elderly people, as well as stave off loneliness and even possibly slow cognitive decline.
The reading session saw children from St Thomas C of E Academy invited to Ardenlea care home for a morning of reading, fun and making new friends, with professional storyteller John Hughes gathering everyone together to bring the wonderful world of books to life.
To encourage the children to continue with their love of reading, they have also been gifted free books to treasure at home, including intergenerational story, ‘Tibble and Grandpa’.
Care home resident, Rosemary Babbedge said: “It was wonderful to spend time with the children and to read together.
“It reminded me of reading to my children and grandchildren when they were little.
“The children told me about their favourite stories and I reminisced about my favourite book as a child, My Two Grannies.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the children again and hearing about their progress with their reading.”
To encourage the children to continue with their love of reading, they have also been gifted free books to treasure at home, including intergenerational story, ‘Tibble and Grandpa’.
Lorraine Bartlam, home manager at Ardenlea Court added: “Our residents love spending time with children, they bring such energy to the home and reading is an activity that everyone can enjoy together.
“We’re so pleased to be involved with this partnership at Ardenlea Court, we strive to provide the highest quality care for our residents and play an active role in the local community.
“Seeing the children and our residents bond has been so wonderful and rewarding in many ways.”
