Playgroup brings community together
An intergenerational playgroup is making a huge difference to the lives of older people at a Retirement Living Scheme in Derbyshire thanks to a partnership between Stonewater and BeWell.
Since summer 2022, residents at Cornmill House, Glossop, have been opening their doors to parents with young children in the local area to help bridge the gap between younger and older people and tackle social isolation through play.
Once a week, parents bring their babies and toddlers to Cornmill House where residents at the scheme are able to join in with toys, games, singing and general interaction.
Thelma, a resident of Cornmill House, said: “It’s the best day and the highlight of my week, every week. I just love seeing the little ones and cuddling them, it really does make me smile.”
Stonewater and BeWell have been working together to support residents at Cornmill House for around seven years with various activities such as seated exercise, singing groups and social events – work which had been interrupted by Covid and lockdown restrictions.
But, after securing funding for new intergenerational projects, the playgroups were introduced in summer 2022 to help residents at the scheme reconnect with other people after restrictions were lifted.
Since then the group has gone from strength to strength and has been featured in the local newspaper.
Christian Halpin, Scheme Coordinator at Cornmill House for Stonewater, said: “This is just the beginning for this kind of work. We’re hoping to work with local schools so that we can get kids in to work with our residents in the garden, planting vegetables and learning about gardening. The aim is to teach each other about where our food comes from, learn about leading a healthy lifestyle and, of course, get younger people interacting with our residents.”
The idea for the playgroup was inspired by a Channel Four programme called “Old People's Home For Four Year Olds", which showed the benefits of inter-generational mixing.
For more information on the work BeWell are doing with Stonewater, visit their Facebook page or their website.