Ready, set, draw – Eye care home residents take part in worldwide art festival

Home news

Nov 26, 2020

Residents at a care home in Eye picked up their pencils and went back to the drawing board for The Big Draw Festival 2020.

Care UK’s Hartismere Place, on Castleton Way, celebrated all things nature by creating works of art around this year’s theme, ‘a Climate of Change’.  

As part of their event, residents and team members joined forces with the Eye Beavers for a drawing and art competition focused on bumblebee conservation. Both completing their artwork remotely, as part of a joint piece, residents also crowned one lucky beaver, Jacob, as winner of the competition.

Launched in 2000 as part of the ‘Campaign for Drawing’, the month-long Big Draw Festival promotes drawing as a tool for learning, expression and invention, and has encouraged over four million people to get arty since its inception. ‘A Climate of Change’, this year’s theme, focuses on the relationship between people and their environment, and offers a great opportunity for older people to reminisce about their favourite nature spots, as well as trips to the great outdoors in their younger years, and how our focus looking after our planet has changed in recent years. 

Abhilash Gopi Home Manager at Hartismere Place, said: “We had a great time taking part in The Big Draw again this year, and it was a wonderful opportunity to put our creativity to the test.

“Art and intergenerational activities are a huge part of life here at Hartismere Place, and even though we may have been unable to meet in person, it was fantastic to partner with the Eye Beavers for the occasion. As well as being a great way to develop our artistic skills, intergenerational activities area wonderful way to improve wellbeing and provide older people with a sense of purpose.

“We’d like to thank all of the Eye Beavers for taking part, and congratulate Jacob for winning the competition – his artwork really was the bees’ knees. We can’t wait to join forces again soon for some arty fun!”

After a successful participation in the Big Draw Festival last year, Care UK renewed its partnership in 2020, becoming the main health and social care partner and leading the way in changing perceptions of life in a care home by promoting activity-based care and encouraging other care homes to follow suit. Across the country, more than 70 homes have been getting arty and working with their local communities virtually to create works of art around the theme ‘A Climate of Change’.

Hartismere Place has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential and nursing care, as well as short-term respite.

To find out more about Hartismere Place, please contact Senior Customer Relations Manager, Angela Hodge, on 01379 888276, or email angela.hodge@careuk.com

To find out more about Care UK’s partnership with the Big Draw, and for more top tips on how you and your loved ones can get involved at home, visit careuk.com/care-homes/bigdraw

To find out more about the Big Draw festival, please go to thebigdraw.org