Children make their mark on time in Hailsham and Orpington

Company news

Jan 16, 2013

Children left their mark on the histories of Hailsham and Orpington when they named areas at two of Care UK’s newest care homes and buried time capsules in the grounds.

Pupils at Green Street Green Primary School took part in a competition to choose the names of areas in Foxbridge House, a brand new Care UK home that is due to open this spring in Orpington. The competition to name the three units was open to the school’s 440 pupils and many imaginative names were suggested, with the winning names being ‘Willow’, ‘Larch’ and ‘Bluebell’.

Set to open in March, Foxbridge House will have a contemporary, light and airy feel and will feature Care UK’s ‘village’ style area including a coffee shop, hair salon and cinema. The home will also feature lounges and open areas that celebrate local themes, such as Biggin Hill airfield, Brands Hatch racing circuit and Charles Darwin, who lived in the nearby village of Downe. Each en-suite bedroom has been designed to meet the needs of people living with dementia, whilst landscaped gardens feature sensory planting, water features and seating areas.

Lynne Dando, headteacher at the school, said: “Care UK wanted the school to get involved at the new home from day one. By burying the time capsule we will be cementing forever the link between the school and the home.

“Every child in Key Stage One and Key Stage Two worked with their teacher to write a very special message to the people of the future. The best examples have gone into the time capsule, along with photographs and memorabilia from 2012, which was a remarkable year for us all.”

In Hailsham, pupils at White House Primary School named the areas at Bowes House, the town’s newest nursing home, set to open in May. The winning names chosen by the youngsters were: ‘Aylsham Lodge’, in recognition of Hailsham’s former name, ‘Weald Lodge’, in reference to the district Hailsham is in, ‘Meadow View’, because there used to be a meadow opposite the site of the home and ‘Barley’, in recognition of the region’s agricultural history.

This is the second time capsule adventure at the home in Hailsham. During work on the site, a 1960s time capsule was uncovered and the children from White House Primary School became time detectives.

The capsule contained a copy of the Financial Times dated 10th September 1964, with the headline ‘British Satellite Launch on the Way’, a copy of the Sussex Express and County Herald, with news of a barbeque event at Pevensey Beach, a trip for older people to Littlehampton provided by the Cross in Hand Choral Society and lots of local weddings.

The home’s name, Bowes House, was chosen after the time capsule was unearthed and a piece of headed paper containing the name was discovered inside. Bowes House will offer personalised nursing, residential and respite care for older people, with specialist support for those living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

Heather Baldwin, headteacher at White House Primary School, said: "I was very impressed at how carefully the children had thought about what would no longer be in use in 50 years’ time. We put in a book and pencil, as the children decided everyone would use tablet computers in future, information about various events that had occurred at the school, an autograph book with everyone's signature including finger prints of reception children, a mobile phone, and a picture of the view from our playground.”

Care UK project manager Sara Goodwin said choosing the winning names had been a tough decision: “The children came up with some fantastic suggestions and we were spoilt for choice,” she said.

“It has been a great experience for us to work with the schools and have the input of the children in creating these new homes.”