Essex care home residents celebrate National Storytelling Week with local nursery children

Residents at an Essex care home embraced the magic of storytelling with a special intergenerational celebration for National Storytelling Week.

To mark National Storytelling Week, which takes place from 1^{st –} 9^th February, residents at Colne View care home in Halstead were visited by children from Park Pre-School. The young visitors, dressed as their favourite storybook characters, brought their favourite tales along with them for the residents to read aloud, including The Wonky Donkey, The Dinosaur that Pooped a Pirate, and Bear Snores On.

The storytelling session was part of Colne View’s ongoing efforts to foster meaningful intergenerational relationships between residents and local children, offering significant benefits to both older and younger individuals by creating connections and providing opportunities to share and learn from one another’s experiences.

Jane Hutchinson, age 90, resident at Colne View, had the following to say about the event: “It was lovely to interact with the children, they are so happy and a delight to read to.”

Monica Boldeata, Home Manager at Colne View, said: “It was wonderful to see the children so engaged and excited about reading. This event was such a lovely way for the residents to connect with the younger generation, and National Storytelling Week was the perfect occasion to do so. The children’s enthusiasm was contagious, and it was heartwarming to witness the joy on the faces of residents as they shared stories with the little ones.”

Colne View is a care home designed to deliver the very best standards of care, and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home offers a range of services, including residential care, dementia care and respite care, and even has its own cinema, café and hair salon.