A story that’s plot on – Stansted care home residents read bedtime stories to local children

Residents at a care home in Stansted have been reading well-known bedtime stories to local children as part of a nationwide initiative to celebrate National Storytelling Week. 

Stansted may seem a little quieter than usual after residents from Care UK’s Mountfitchet House, on Coltsfield, welcomed children from Elsenham C. of E. Primary School into the home for a special reading session.

To celebrate National Storytelling Week, Care UK has created the Bedtime Stories initiative which sees residents across the UK read classic bedtime stories to young children. The campaign, which includes the launch of four free videos of residents reading famous stories, ensures children who may not have a grandparent do not miss out on a magical tale before bedtime.

At Mountfitchet House, 67-year-old resident, Clare Bell, read The Wizard of Oz to the children. Clare said: “I love to read to my grandchildren when they come to visit, so having the children visit was lovely – it made me so happy to see them smiling. 

Joanna Duke, Home Manager at Mountfitchet House, said: “It is hugely important to us to play an active role in the community, so we were delighted to welcome children from Elsenham C. of E. Primary School into the home. 

“Books have the ability to transport people to completely different and often magical places, so it was wonderful for the residents to be able to take children on this journey. Nurturing a love of reading from an early age is so important in developing a child’s imagination and communication skills, while also helping to improve concentration and reduce stress in older ages. 

“We would like to thank the pupils for visiting us and hope we have helped them to continue building a love of reading.”

To watch four Bedtime Stories read by Care UK residents, or for more information about the Bedtime Stories initiative, visit: careuk.com/bedtime-stories

Mountfitchet House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia and short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.

For more information on Mountfitchet House, please call Customer Relations Manager, Jade Rackham, on 01279 883849, or email jade.rackham@careuk.com

For more general information, please go to careuk.com/mountfitchet-house