Yate care home residents and local children unite for intergenerational environmental initiative

A care home in Yate has recently participated in a newly launched environmental initiative, bringing together local primary school children and residents for a day of activities to benefit the planet.

Residents at Care UK’s Ladden View, on Fletcher Road, were joined by school children as they took part in Generations of Change, an intergenerational initiative that has been launched ahead of 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 Ladden View were joined by pupils from North Road Primary School joined residents for an afternoon of arts and crafts using recycled materials. The children had collected colourful packets during the week leading up to their visit. Once at Ladden View, they cut these packets into small pieces and glued them onto cardboard butterfly wings. By the end of the afternoon, the residents and children had created two beautifully coloured butterflies, which were presented to the school to display, along with a certificate recognising their time at Ladden View. 

81-year-old resident Wendy Weaver, said: “I loved having the children visit us at Ladden View. Interacting with them, supporting them and assisting them with making and decorating the butterflies was so much fun and I loved watching how creative all the children were. It was a lovely afternoon.”

Aligned with school curriculums, this will be the first of many Generations of Change projects at Ladden View, which will bring 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. 

Sarah Daly, Home Manager at Ladden View, said: “We were thrilled to see both the children and residents so engaged in the activity. The joy on their faces as they worked together to transform recycled materials into beautiful artwork was truly heartwarming. 

“We are always looking for innovative ways to involve residents in activities and encourage new friendships, and this session was a great opportunity to create special bonds across the generations. Everyone had a great time, and I’d like to say a big thank you to North Road Primary School for being part of our mission.”

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. 

Ladden View is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential and specialist dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The Care UK home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies and includes a cinema, café, and hair and beauty salon.