Wood you believe it? Ware care home residents team up with schoolchildren for DIY project
A care home in Ware has joined forces with a local school as part of an intergenerational initiative.
Residents at Snowdrop House, on Baldock Street, have been rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into some hands-on DIY – all in the name of sharing skills with the next generation.
As part of Care UK’s ‘Fixer Uppers’ programme, St. Mary’s school pupils, aged 10 – 11, visited the home to help repair bee and bug hotels in the garden alongside the Maintenance Manager, Gary Humphrey.
Resident Robert Carver, aged 73 said: “I really enjoyed the construction side of things like making the bird boxes, it was a really fun activity and I very much enjoyed the creative side to it as well as the “hands on” approach.
“I think it’s important to do things like this to help nature in our garden and for young children to have an awareness of this, and I hope the conversation they had with us had a positive effect and will encourage them to get outdoors in nature and re-use materials. It reminded me of my previous job where I would make shelters out of natural materials for wildlife and insects.”
Launched in the approach to Saturday’s International Repair Day, the initiative aims to revive traditional repair skills – such as fixing furniture, mending clothes and tackling small maintenance jobs – and celebrate the invaluable knowledge older generations can pass on while promoting sustainability.
Clare Crow, Home Manager at Snowdrop House, said: “Residents here have a wealth of skills and life experiences, and the Fixer Uppers project has been a wonderful opportunity for them to share their knowledge with the younger generation.
“Whether it’s building, planting or simply lending advice, there’s a real sense of pride and purpose that comes from creating something with your hands. We’re also excited to be supporting local wildlife with our creations, so we’re really looking forward to seeing a host of friendly bugs and bees appear in our garden!
“A big thank you to St. Mary’s school for joining us to build bee and bug hotels – it’s been a real pleasure working together.”
To find out more about Fixer Uppers, please visit careuk.com/Fixer-Uppers.
Snowdrop House is a state-of-the-art care home that provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. It incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, and includes its own cinema, hair and beauty salon and café.
For more information on Snowdrop House, please call Customer Relations Manager Jade Rackham on 01920 897 553, email [email protected] or visit careuk.com/snowdrop-house.