Sale care home residents read stories to local children

Residents at a care home in Sale have been reading a well-known story to nursery children. 

Children from the Banana Moon Nursery visited residents at Care UK’s Oakfield Croft, on Oakfield, for a Gruffalo themed afternoon.

On the day, residents Anne Orton, aged 90, Dorothy Jean Taylor, aged 94, Fred Bellamy, aged 97, and Martha Byrne, aged 86, read the popular children’s book – ‘The Gruffalo’ by Julia Donaldson – to the children, discussing their favourite stories and characters. 

The team adorned the lounge with Gruffalo themed bunting, balloons and cupcakes, and team member, Jasmine Massey, dressed up as the Gruffalo, creating an immersive experience for the youngsters.

After the reading session, residents enjoyed helping the children get arty and led a colouring session. The day was topped off with a sing song including ‘The Spring Song’ and ‘I’m a Spring Chicken’.

Ann Orton, aged 90, said: “I really enjoyed the day, it was lovely to read to the children and chat about the book and their favourite characters, the children were really good and I would love to do it again.”

Dan Cole, Home Manager at Oakfield Croft, said: “We always enjoy opening our doors to the local community, so it was fantastic to be joined by children from Banana Moon Nursery.

“Intergenerational activities are incredibly enriching for all ages and provide a fantastic opportunity for residents and children to interact with one another. The youngsters were able to soak up a wonderful story and the residents benefited from gaining a different perspective from the children on a popular tale. It’s fantastic to host this session to allow the two generations to spend time with one another.

“We thoroughly enjoyed hosting the Gruffalo session with the children and hope that we have helped them to continue building a love of reading.”

Oakfield Croft has been rated ‘Good’ in all five areas by the Care Quality Commission and was named a Top 20 care home for the second year in a row. The home is designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities, as well as facilities like a cinema, coffee shop and hair salon.