Bringing generations together – Leamington Spa care home backs charity with £1,000 donation

A Leamington Spa care home is supporting a nationwide healthcare charity to tackle loneliness among local people. 

Care UK’s Priors House, on Old Milverton Lane, has donated £1,000 to charity partner Kissing It Better.

Kissing It Better is a nationwide charity which aims to end isolation for older people living in the community through intergenerational activities, working with a wide network of schools across the country. They also offer training session and courses to education providers, giving students the right tools to better understand the needs of older people. 

During lockdown, residents and team members at Priors House also worked together with Kissing it Better to provide a host of engaging projects including a pen pal scheme, virtual pet therapy sessions, a poetry club, music-centred activities and regular quizzes with local pupils. The charity also provided residents with activity packs and homemade gifts, such as hearts for Valentine’s Day.

Caty Oates, Project Director for Warwickshire at Kissing It Better, said: “We’re over the moon to receive funds from the Care UK team at Priors House. We’ve worked on some wonderful projects with Priors House over the past two years and our volunteers always love hearing stories from residents and learning all about what life was like when they were young. We’re excited to continue building on this relationship in the future – on behalf of everyone at Kissing It Better, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone at Priors House.”

Francine Summers, Home Manager at Priors House, said: “We’re very pleased to be able to support Kissing It Better. 

“We understand just how important tackling loneliness among older people is, especially in light of the pandemic, so the services charities such as Kissing It Better provide to the local community are truly invaluable. Having partnered with Caty and the rest of the team on some really exciting activities during lockdown, we also know how creative they can be when it comes to coming up with new projects to support older people. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to give back and ensure others in the community get to be involved – whether it’s through taking part in intergenerational activities or receiving training.”

Priors House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema and hair salon, and there is plenty of space, both indoors and out, for relaxation and recreation. The home has a comprehensive activity program, offering a mix of themed events, group activities and days out.

To find out more about Priors House, please contact Customer Relations Manager, Maria Cridge, at maria.cridge@careuk.com, or phone 01926 675 217.

For more general information, visit careuk.com/care-homes/priors-house.

To find out more about Kissing It Better, visit kissingitbetter.co.uk.