Just the thicket! – Solihull care home residents revisit favourite hobbies

Residents at a care home in Solihull have been revisiting their favourite hobbies and shared their skills with the younger generation. 

Residents at Care UK’s Blossomfield Grange, on Worcester Way, have been stepping back in time to enjoy gardening as part of a nationwide initiative – Long Lost Hobbies. 

 

The ‘Long Lost Hobbies’ initiative sees residents in Care UK homes across the country share their favourite hobbies and try new pastimes with younger generations after a national survey found 77% of adults feel technology is the cause of traditional skills being lost, including flower arranging, knitting and woodworking.

To ensure the hobbies of older generations are not forgotten, residents at Blossomfield Grange, have been getting to the knitty-gritty and unwinding what makes their favourite pastime so enjoyable. 

As part of the initiative, residents invited their grandchildren to enjoy an afternoon of gardening in the home’s garden. On the day, resident Sylvia taught her great grandson, Jack, how to plant seeds and how much water plants need to survive, before repotting older plants in time for Spring. After, Jack shared his favourite hobby, by showing his great grandmother his drawing skills. 

Heather James, General Manager at Blossomfield Grange, said: “It has been wonderful to see residents bonding with their grandchildren over their favourite childhood hobbies. 

 

“In today’s digital age, the risk of losing much-loved pastimes increases with every new update or app – so it’s been fantastic to revisit hobbies from the past as part of Care UK’s Long Lost Hobbies initiative. Drawing on strong memories helps to boost confidence and provides an opportunity to re-live happy times, which can prompt conversation and fond emotions.

“Seeing residents enjoying their favourite pastime with their grandchildren has been heart-warming to see and has clearly inspired the younger generation to take up gardening!"

For top tips on how you and your loved ones can revisit forgotten pastimes or discover new ones, please visit: careuk.com/long-lost-hobbies.

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Blossomfield Grange, which remains open to potential residents, incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The building has been configured into a series of neighbourhoods to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.

For more information on Blossomfield Grange, please call Director of Community Relations, Jo Hopkins, on 0121 392 7833, email Jo.Hopkins@careuk.com or visit careuk.com/blossomfield-grange.