Stansted care home residents and children unite for intergenerational environmental initiative

 

A care home in Stansted recently participated in a newly launched environmental initiative, bringing together local children and residents for a day of green-fingered activities.

Care UK’s Mountfitchet House, on Coltsfield, recently invited pupils from 1^st Stansted Beaver Colony to join residents as they took part in Generations of Change, an intergenerational initiative that has been launched in line with Global Recycling Day to unite older and younger people in a shared mission of environmental stewardship.  

The new Care UK Generations of Change programme aims to harness the wisdom of older members of society and the fresh perspectives of children during hands-on activities linked to biodiversity, climate change and sustainable gardening, creating opportunities for a fulfilling knowledge exchange that will benefit the planet.   

To do their bit, residents at Mountfitchet House collaborated with local youngsters for a litter-picking event in their community. The day started with a joint effort to clean up the Coltsfield housing estate, where both residents and school children collected rubbish demonstrating their commitment to the environment and their neighbourhood. During the litter pick, the children teamed up with a resident, working together to tidy the streets. The residents held the bags while the children picked up the litter.

Jean Martin, an 89-year-old resident, shared her thoughts, saying, "The children were a delight to work with and were so excited to help in the community. It’s important to protect the environment for future generations and to keep the place looking beautiful. All the children were determined to clean up the area, and they all worked very hard!”

Aligned with school curriculums, this will be the first of many Generations of Change projects at Mountfitchet House, bringing a unique bidirectional learning model into the home that allows residents to mentor children on traditional conservation practices while young people share modern perspectives on sustainable living during their shared environmental projects.

Beyond environmental education, this initiative aims to combat loneliness in older people by fostering meaningful connections that promote a sense of purpose, enriching the lives of both generations as they work together towards a more sustainable future. 

Care UK has also created downloadable packs with resources for teachers and groups, including fun, interactive activities to help facilitate intergenerational lessons, with the educational packs covering topics from biodiversity to food sustainability, climate change and recycling. 

Joanna Duke, Home Manager at Mountfitchet House, said: “It was wonderful to see both the children and residents so engaged in the clean-up project, with big smiles on their faces as they worked together to make a positive impact on the environment.

“The Generations of Change initiative is a fantastic way for residents and children to connect, learn from each other, and share valuable experiences. Watching these relationships grow has been truly special. Everyone had a wonderful time, and we want to say a huge thank you to 1^st Stansted Beaver Colony for joining us in this meaningful initiative.”

For more information about Care UK’s Generations of Change, including a series of downloadable lesson plans for schools to help children understand important sustainability topics, visit careuk.com/generations-of-change 

In 2024, Care UK secured official accreditation for the high standards it used to measure corporate greenhouse gas emissions, an important milestone in its journey of reducing carbon emissions and achieving net zero by 2040. Care UK continues to work towards having at least one Sustainability Champion in each of their 160+ homes and Generations of Change complements the organisation’s ESG values and dedication to sustainability, community and intergenerational relationships. 

More than 99% of Care UK’s general waste was diverted from landfill last year, alongside the reduction of unnecessary pharmaceutical waste, and investments continue to be made in home upgrades such as environmentally friendly LED lighting and salary sacrifice schemes to encourage team members to cycle or switch to electric vehicles. 

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