Ready, set, draw – Harrow care home residents take part in worldwide art festival

Home news

Oct 22, 2020

Residents at a care home in Harrow picked up their pencils and went back to the drawing board for The Big Draw Festival 2020.

Care UK’s Buchanan Court, on Sudbury Hill, celebrated all things nature by creating works of art around this year’s theme, ‘a Climate of Change’.  

As part of their event, residents and team members partnered with Mountbatten Grange care home, based in Windsor, to swap artwork based on the local area of the other Care UK home.

Residents at Buchanan Court completed research, had a group discussion about how they visualised Windsor and then created art based on their conclusions, which was then virtually shared with the other care home via video link. Residents at both homes had the opportunity to chat about the art they created on a Skype video call and swap stories about their local community, including how their local environments have changed over the years.

Launched in 2000 as part of the ‘Campaign for Drawing’, the month-long Big Draw Festival promotes drawing as a tool for learning, expression and invention, and has encouraged over four million people to get arty since its inception. ‘A Climate of Change’, this year’s theme, focuses on the relationship between people and their environment, and offers a great opportunity for older people to reminisce about their favourite nature spots, as well as trips in youngers years to the great outdoors, and how our focus looking after our planet has changed in recent years. 

Simon Doherty, Home Manager at Buchanan Court, said: “It was wonderful to take part in The Big Draw for the second year running – everyone had a great time putting their drawing skills to the test and partnering up with everyone at Mountbatten Grange.

“Here at Buchanan Court, we believe in the power of activity-based care, and drawing is the perfect example of how we can put this into practice, as it is an incredibly accessible activity that people of all ages can enjoy. This year’s theme gave us a lot to think about, and it was great to hear residents’ favourite nature-related anecdotes and views on how things have changed since they were young.

“We've had our creative juices flowing, and we can’t wait to display the final masterpieces in the home and our Facebook page for everyone to see.”

After a successful participation in the Big Draw Festival last year, Care UK renewed its partnership in 2020, becoming the main health and social care partner and leading the way in changing perceptions of life in a care home by promoting activity-based care and encouraging other care homes to follow suit. Across the country, more than 70 Care UK homes have been getting arty and working with their local communities virtually to create works of art around the theme ‘A Climate of Change’.

Buchanan Court has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, nursing and specialist dementia care, as well as short-term respite.

For more information about Buchanan Court, please contact Home Manager, Simon Doherty, on 020 3504 7077 or email simon.doherty@careuk.com

To find out more about Care UK’s partnership with the Big Draw, and for more top tips on how you and your loved ones can get involved at home, visit careuk.com/care-homes/bigdraw

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