Care UK launches Generations of Change

 

Care UK’s dedication to sustainability, community and intergenerational relationships is front-and-centre for their new initiative, Generations of Change. 

Around Global Recycling Day (Tuesday 18^th March), more than 40 Care UK homes will launch the pilot scheme for Generations of Change. This brings together primary school children and care home residents, encouraging them to share knowledge, learn from one another, and work together towards a more sustainable future. 

By creating downloadable packs with resources for teachers, Care UK has created fun and interactive activities to help facilitate intergenerational lessons. Together, children and older people will explore topics like biodiversity and climate change and discover how everyone can contribute to making a positive difference in their community. 

Topics for the educational packs range from biodiversity to food sustainability, climate change to recycling and are available for free on Care UK’s website.  

In honour of Global Recycling Day, homes from Edinburgh to Cambridgeshire’s St. Ives will take part in a variety of activities to celebrate the beginning of Generations of Change. These include food markets with local schools, sowing seeds in care home gardens or allotments, upcycling old clothes and litter picking.   

Generations of Change was originally the brainchild of Vicki Lambourne, the Senior Customer Relations Manager at Winchcombe Place in Newbury, who credits her home’s close relationship with the nearby Winchcombe School for the idea. The idea has now been adopted as a Care UK-wide initiative, complementing its ESG values and community commitment, as seen in their recent Harvest Festival campaign.  

Tony Weedon, Care UK’s Strategic Programme Director, said: “At Care UK, we are continuing to create new ways to promote sustainability and encourage community-building. As a large provider, we take our responsibility as stewards of the environment seriously – whether this is in the village, town or borough that our individual homes are based in. 

“I am very excited to see how Generations of Change can bring together these two goals and support young children and older people in our communities to share knowledge and develop new skills. We know from experience that residents find spending time with children particularly valuable, and we believe the introduction of these free resources will encourage more schools to reach out to their local Care UK home and get involved.”    

Care UK is dedicated to being a responsible corporate citizen. In 2024, the provider secured official accreditation for the high standards they used to measure corporate greenhouse gas emissions. This an important milestone on their journey to reducing carbon emissions and achieving net zero by 2040. They continued to work towards having at least one Sustainability Champion in each of their 160+ homes and took on projects such as the Wildlife Gardens campaign to attract pollinators and birds to their outside spaces. 

More than 99% of Care UK’s general waste was diverted from landfill last year, alongside the reduction of unnecessary pharmaceutical waste. Care UK also made a £1 million investment in LED lighting across the estate and has introduced a salary sacrifice electric vehicle scheme for field-based roles to complement the cycle to work scheme for colleagues working across their homes and offices. 

To learn more about Care UK’s Generations of Change project, and to download the free resources, please visit our website.