Over the past
year, Holy Family Catholic Primary School and Holly Bank Nursing Home have
formed a community initiative and have been working together on school
projects, reminiscence sessions and even taking part in Sefton’s Year of
Friendship.
There have built some great friendships built and the pupils have
been a really welcomed source of company for our residents. The positive effect
on the residents’ mental health and wellbeing has been noted not only by staff,
but by families and friends.
As part of our
on-going relationship with Holy Family, we decided to spend the afternoon of
National Poetry Day together. National Poetry Day, the UK-wide celebration of
poetry, took place on Thursday 3rd October.
To mark the event, a
group of Year 6 pupils from Holy Family Catholic Primary School visited the
residents of Holly Bank Nursing Home to read and share poems with them. The
standard of the poetry was exceptional and the residents thoroughly enjoyed
listening to the pupils’ work. There were poems that the students had written,
as well as some favourite poems from poetry books they had brought in.
After they had
read their poetry to the residents, the pupils then spent time going around and
sitting with each resident and showing them their work. The children always
spark some great conversations with the residents, and they helped them to
reminisce about what some of their favourite poems/stories were when they were
younger.
