Down to a fine art – children join Newbury care home for the world’s largest drawing festival

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Nov 08, 2019

Residents at a care home in Newbury picked up their pencils and welcomed Happy Kids Nursery for The Big Draw Festival 2019.

Care UK’s Winchcombe Place, on Maple Crescent, joined in the celebrations by creating works of art around this year’s theme, ‘drawn to life’. The children and residents, led by Creative Minds artist, Kayleigh Notman, explored the therapeutic benefits of drawing.

Launched in 2000 as part of the ‘Campaign for Drawing’, The Big Draw promotes drawing as a tool for learning, expression and invention, and has encouraged over four million people to get arty since its inception. This year’s theme celebrates the benefits of creative activities, especially drawing, on health and wellbeing. 2019 also marks the bicentenary of John Ruskin’s birth, founder of the Guild of St George, the charitable education trust behind the initiative.

Kerry Thompson, home manager at Winchcombe Place, said: “We had an amazing time welcoming Happy Kids Nursery, as well as Kayleigh from Creative Minds, into Winchcombe Place to take part in The Big Draw Festival 2019.

“Many residents have a keen interest in creative activities, so The Big Draw Festival provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase these skills.

“Everyone had a wonderful day, and we can’t wait to display our masterpieces in the home!”

Winchcombe Place is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia and short-term respite care.

Recognising the importance of artistic activities, Care UK was happy to become one of the lead sponsors for The Big Draw this year alongside organisations such as The Courtauld Institute of Art and the City of Toronto Museum. You can read more about Care UK’s national involvement here: thebigdraw.org/drawn-to-life-care-uk

To find out more about the event, please contact customer relations manager, Vicki Lambourne, on 0333 321 1923, or email vicki.lambourne@careuk.com

For more general information about Winchcombe Place please visit careuk.com/winchcombe-place

To find out more about the Big Draw festival, please go to thebigdraw.org