Etching to go! Epsom care home residents take part in worldwide art festival

 Residents at a care home in Epsom have been ‘looking the art’ throughout October as they picked up their pencils and went back to the drawing board for The Big Draw Festival 2021.

Care UK’s Appleby House, on Longmead Road, celebrated all things arty by teaming up with pupils at Epsom Primary School to promote the therapeutic benefits of drawing for expression and promoting positive wellbeing. 

Following a summer garden project which saw residents and team members work together to revamp the home’s garden earlier this year, residents decided they wanted to make a collage to showcase the garden’s wildflowers and the wildlife which now regularly visit the newly renovated space. 

Once the home’s photography club, made up of residents with a passion for photography, captured photos of the flowers, team members at Appleby House got to work contacting Epsom Primary School to plan two virtual art sessions via Zoom, for pupils and residents to draw the flowers. 

After collecting the quarantined drawings from the school, residents got to work cutting and sticking the flowers to a giant piece of paper, while residents Milly and Linda, painted a background of clouds and a sky in the style of artist Jackson Pollock. Keen to show her own artistic flare, resident Doris added her own painted flowers to the piece to add further depth to the collaborative piece. The colourful artwork is now on display in the home for everyone to enjoy. 

Launched in 2000 as part of the ‘Campaign for Drawing’, the month-long Big Draw Festival promotes drawing as a tool for learning, and invention, and has encouraged over four million people to get arty since its inception. 

‘Make the Change’, this year’s theme, focuses on the relationship between people and their living environments, and offers a great opportunity for older people to reminisce about their favourite nature spots, how the environment has changed, and look to the future at what action can be taken to help safeguard the planet in light of the climate crisis. 

Shona Bradbury, Home Manager at Appleby House, said: “Art and intergenerational activities are a huge part of life here at Appleby House, and even though we may have been unable to meet in person, it was fantastic to join forces with Epsom Primary School for a second virtual art session this year to help us showcase the gorgeous wildflowers we have growing in the garden. 

“Intergenerational relationships have proven to be incredibly enriching, as they provide an opportunity for younger and older generations to learn from each other. These relationships can be particularly beneficial for older people, as they can offer a sense of purpose and prompt conversations as residents reflect on their younger years. 

“We’d like to say a big thank you to Epsom Primary School for taking part. The residents loved seeing the children’s artwork and we can’t wait to join forces again soon for more arty fun!”

Appleby House has been designed to encourage residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while remaining as independent as possible in a safe environment. The modern care home provides full-time residential, nursing and specialist dementia care.

To find out more about Appleby House, please call 0333 4343 002 or email Home Manager, Shona Bradbury, at shona.bradbury@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.