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We are pleased that we are welcoming new partnerships from all across Leicester and Leicestershire now and are growing both in terms of geographical reach and numbers of partnerships.
Our newest link is between Belton Primary and Shepshed Singing Cafe
We are welcoming a wide range of settings where older people meet as well as encouraging care homes to continue to sign up.

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If gardening and growing are of interest to you as a shared activity - please get in touch and I will put you in contact with One Planet Matters and share a toolkit of resource ideas

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Intergenerational Growing | One Planet Matters

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Abbey Mead and Asra House - a partnership to be proud of!

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As we approach the end of the school summer term, we would like to encourage all existing partners to renew their commitment to work together next year and we invite new partnerships to join us.
Schools, youth groups, Scouts, Care Homes, Sheltered Housing locations, Day Centres etc - all welcome! Get in touch to find out how to get involved.

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We are so pleased to be a recipient of funding from The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Living Well with Dementia Board - this will enable our work to continue for the next few years.

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Harrold, a resident at Graysford Hall grew up in the Highfields area and he was an apprentice working with wood and so as he never had a suitcase, he decided to make one as you did in the days.

Harrold wrote his name in his case in 1943 and then somehow lost contact with it, until recently when just by chance, one of the Graysford Hall carers Claire, found it in a charity shop and she immediately knew what it was and brought it back to Harrold!
What an incredible story - it will feature on BBC East Midlands Today News very soon!

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Our work is growing and expanding this year across Leicester and Leicestershire and to encompass Sheltered Housing for the elderly and Scouts groups as well as schools and care homes.

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Are you planning an event for GIW2023? Maybe a Mix and Mingle? We would love to see photos and hear how it went!

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The children at Rowlatts Mead Primary made these beautiful everlasting bouquets for the residents at Arbor House- each leaf contains a handwritten message from one of the children to brighten the days of the residents :)

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Welcome to the 2nd Year of Intergenerational Linking 2022-23 

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Welcome to the 2nd Year of Intergenerational Linking 2022-23 

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It has been such a busy start to the year and it has been a while since I posted on here - but I would just like to welcome you back or welcome you for the first time if you are joining us for the first time.
Partnerships are busy planning for the year ahead and I have already seen so many exciting activities and events in the pipeline. Please share photos and info of the way you connect so I can share them with everyone else.

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As we begin the new academic year 2022-23 we have already had many new expressions of interest from schools and Scout groups and have exciting plans in the pipeline to collaborate with Memory Cafes and more local older persons groups within the community as well as care homes.

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A biscuit decorating session was fun for everyone

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When Monica saw the words collated on the display to answer the question, 'How do we all live together well?' she noticed a really important word was missing and insisted on adding it!
We can't agree more with you Monica!
Happiness is the key to living well together!

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During our last Advisory Group Meeting we had a chance to look at all the wonderful activities our intergenerational partnerships had engaged in - keep sending me your photos and videos and I will keep sharing them!

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Keep an eye out for tweets and emails regarding our Celebration week where schools linking across the country will be celebrated and it would be great to include Intergeneration linking too.

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The wonderful pupils from Medway performed a selection of songs for the residents at Graysford Hall

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We are so excited to hold our next meeting as we are expecting a guest appearance by Ann and Angela who will share their views on our project.

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Thank you to the wonderful staff and residents at New Wycliffe Home who produced this beautiful and touching display answering the question, 'How do we all live well together?'

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The incredible team at Graysford Hall are planning a lovely activity for Dementia action week Monday May 16 th-Friday 20 th and have invited the children in their linked schools to help them fill the home with Forget-me-not flower heads. This is a simple activity- attached above - and it would be amazing if some other schools join in and do this as a way to brighten up their linked care home and bring some springtime smiles to the resident's faces.

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Mr S.M's Words of Wisdom remind us all to set ourselves goals - here at LIL our goal is that we will be able to continue to engage all of our amazing current 17 partnerships and grow the project to include many more schools, youth groups and care homes next year ......fingers crossed for some good news around funding!

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Medway and Graysford Hall meeting face-to-face!

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Medway and Graysford Hall meeting face-to-face!

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Children from Medway Primary visited the residents to play board games and share books - intergenerational linking in the same room...in real life!

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Have you signed up to take part in this 10 week challenge yet?

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We're Care Home Friends and Neighbours: Intergenerational Linking - the biggest intergenerational project with care homes in England. Over the past 2 years, we've been supporting young people aged 5-14 from schools and youth groups to connect with older people living in care homes across 11 different areas of England.

Our project has created some amazing connections and so many stories of joy.

Inspired by this, we're taking one step further. We want to give more children across the UK the opportunity to engage in intergenerational social action with care homes. And so the "Become a Care Home Friend" Challenge was born!

The details

Sign up below and each week we'll email you a worksheet filled with fun activities that takes children on an exciting intergenerational journey. Each week will cover a new theme with a bit of information about the topic and different activities to try.

These activities can be completed in class or youth group session, as a homework activity, or as an individual activity supported by a parent/guardian. There are different versions suitable for Key Stages 1, 2 & 3.

The activities have been designed by teachers working on our wider Care Home FaNs: Intergenerational Linking project and have curriculum links. You can download an overview here. Notes to Leaders are also available to support adults, e.g. with lesson planning.

At the end, participants will receive a Care Home Friend certificate. If interested, we can also provide further support in sustaining the connection made with your local care home.

Don't worry if you sign-up after our launch on 25th April, you can find the previous activities further up this page. Sign up by midday Friday to receive the next week's activities.

We hope everyone enjoys taking part and encourage you to share photos and updates with us!

We'd also love you to tell others about this Challenge. Here is a flyer you can download and share.

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Become a Care Home Friend - Intergenerational Challenge

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We're Care Home Friends and Neighbours: Intergenerational Linking - the biggest intergenerational project with care homes in England. Over the past 2 years, we've been supporting young people aged 5-14 from schools and youth groups to connect with older people living in care homes across 11 different areas of England.

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Abbey Mead and Asra House - Intergenerational Gardening

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Abbey Mead and Asra House - Intergenerational Gardening

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The wonderful teams at Abbey Mead and Asra House have been really busy getting connected through tree planting - read all about it here

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Intergenerational Growing - connecting through nature-based activities

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One Planet Matters supports intergenerational connections through food growing and nature engagement. We work with schools, care facilities, and community spaces to set up growing areas where older and younger generations can come together to enjoy nature-based activities, learn from one another through stories and engagement, and grow delicious and healthy food together.

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Hearing older and younger people's voices

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Hearing older and younger people's voices

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This great idea to ensure we incorporate the voices of the older people and the children in our linking has been shared by a project in another local area.
In a Care Home they have created a Wishing Tree where residents are able to take a leaf and write (or have written for them) the things they would like to do as part of their activities programme and hang it on the tree. The leaves are then sent to the link school who look at them and decide which ones they can work on with the older people be that virtually or maybe very soon, actually face-to-face!

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Our project is one of eleven similar projects working to improve intergenerational connections. We are glad to have the support of the wider network and our monthly Zoom meetings are a great way to share ideas and support each other.

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Asra House residents have been sending so much great advice to the children at Abbey Mead- they have found so many unique and powerful ways to do this which have kept the connections going during this tricky time

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We have begun to see great friendships develop between our schools and care homes - Abbey Mead and Asra House have the great advantage of being next door neighbours which makes delivering things nice and easy! Let's hope it isn't long before the children and the older people can actually get to meet.

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Welcome to Leicester Intergenerational Linking News!
Currently there are 16 partnerships between care homes and schools/youth groups taking part- we are so excited to have had so much interest and it is great to see all the wonderful ways you are connecting and hear all the positive feedback.

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For this and other suggestions check out the Powerpoint "Ways to connect" here https://thelinkingnetwork.org.uk/intergenerational-linking-2020-21/

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Words of wisdom can be sent in many ways 