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

Home news

Oct 30, 2020

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

Care UK’s Weald Heights, on Bourchier Close, celebrated all things arty by teaming up with pupils at Lady Boswell’s Church of England Primary School in Sevenoaks to draw their favourite feathered friends.

As part of their event, residents and team members were inspired by the birds in the care home’s gardens. Teaming up with pupils from the local school, everyone drew their favourite birds, which the school then sent to the home, where they were then collated into a colourful montage and displayed proudly in the home.

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. 

Maria Covington, Home Manager at Weald Heights, said: “The Big Draw was a huge success, and we were delighted to be able to partner with Lady Boswell’s School for this year’s celebrations.

“Although current circumstances mean we were unable to welcome the youngsters to Weald Heights, we wanted to connect with local pupils through the medium of art, take part in the festival this year and do something positive, and The Big Draw offered the perfect chance for us to do just that.

“We’re looking forward to showcasing our new artwork in the home and on social media for the people of Sevenoaks 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 homes have been getting arty and working with their local communities virtually to create works of art around the theme ‘A Climate of Change’.

Weald Heights has been designed to provide residential, nursing and specialist dementia care, as well as respite, end of life and palliative care. The ethos at Weald Heights is based on person-centred care, which means residents’ values are right at the heart of the home. Choice, variety and luxury are built into every aspect of life at the home, which offers a combination of professional, individualised care and luxury hotel-style comfort.

For more information on Weald Heights, please call Customer Relations Manager, Amelia Moore, on 01732 809 189, or email amelia.moore2@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