Chartwell House care home creating links with Thanet youngsters

Chartwell House resident Teresa with a Cliftonville primary Reading Ambassador

New Thanet care home Chartwell House, based at Westwood, is building intergenerational links with isle schools and Broadstairs College.

Chartwell, part of Boutique Care Homes, is championing work with primary, secondary and further education aged students.

As part of these links Cliftonville Primary School Reading Ambassadors were treated to a day of whimsy, magic and literary delights at the home for World Book Day.

Chartwell House Team, residents and Cliftonville Reading Ambassadors

The team at Chartwell House  created a reading corner for the school children and took dressing up as  story characters to a whole new level with the aim to inspire children to see reading is for fun, not just for school.

Characters included, Neytiri from Avatar, Cruella Deville, Shrek, The Queen of Heaters, Mrs Trunchball, Matilda, Piglet, Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter, delighting the children with their bright colourful costumes.

The aim of the visit was to endorse the schools new reading ambassador scheme. The Reading Ambassadors ahead of the visit went out and chose books especially for the event.

Diane and Jude dressed as Avatar and Cruella Deville

Residents at the care home, including Susan, a former primary school teacher, spent time listening to the children read chapters from the books and in turn, read stories to the children.

Kathleen a resident at Chartwell House, said: “It was lovely having the children visit, they read so well for their age and were so polite, I hope they visit again.”

Kathleen and Cliftonville Reading Ambassador

 

Diane Collins, Home Manager, led the way with her fabulous Avatar costume. She said: “It was just fantastic to welcome the children of Cliftonville Primary School to Chartwell House Care Home. “Seeing their faces light up at my team’s costumes was magical and listening to them reading to the residents was beautiful. Intergenerational opportunities are so important and prove to be an incredibly valuable experience for both young and old.”

Francesca Mulligan, Head of Lifestyle and Activities at Chartwell House, added: “The atmosphere during the day was so relaxed and full of fun, it was like the residents and children were part of the same family. Seeing their smiling faces was just amazing. We are so excited to continue working closely with Cliftonville and other local schools.”

Matilda and Mrs Trunchball aka staff Lauren and Frankie

Speaking after the event, Admissions Manager, Jude Coveney, said:“We had always planned to make World Book Day 2023 a special day for the residents of our home. It was so special to see the children reading to the residents.”

For more information about Chartwell house care home please visit www.boutiquecarehomes.co.uk