Local Care Home Pen Pal Scheme Is In Its Sixth Year
Ashford House Care Home in Staines have been writing thank you cards to the children at Town Farm Primary School as part of their pen pal scheme to connect residents within their homes with creative writing pupils.
Residents of Ashford House, which is run by Barchester Healthcare, started the scheme back in 2020 and they have been sharing their stories of the past with year five students, and making new friends in the inter-generational scheme ever since.
Letter writing, which is part of the school’s creative writing curriculum, has covered topics such as holidays and places to visit, as well as cautionary tales from both the students and the residents of Ashford House. The children visit residents a couple of times a year and recently wrote them Christmas cards. The residents decided to write thank you cards back and talk about the fun festivities that took place within the home throughout December.
Daisy Mingle, General Manager of Ashford House, said: “Residents really enjoy sharing their stories with the young pupils; so many have incredible tales and they love hearing the adventures of the students. The initiative has been so successful that it is in its sixth year with the school. The residents at our home have wonderful stories, they’ve really enjoyed telling their tales with the young ones and meeting up with them throughout the year.”