A story that’s plot on – Eye care home residents read bedtime stories to local children

Residents at a care home in Eye have been reading a collection of short bedtime stories to local children as part of a nationwide initiative to celebrate National Storytelling Week. 

Eye may seem a little quieter than usual after residents from Care UK’s Hartismere Place, on Castleton Way, visited pupils at Occold Primary School for a retelling of The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson. 

To celebrate National Storytelling Week, Care UK has created the Bedtime Stories initiative which sees residents across the UK read classic bedtime stories to young children. The campaign, which includes the launch of four free videos of residents reading famous stories, ensures children who may not have a grandparent do not miss out on a magical tale before bedtime.

At Hartismere Place, 94-year-old resident, Cynthia Ridger, read stories to the pupils as they gathered around in one of the school’s classrooms. Cynthia said: “It is so important to learn to read – there are some fantastic things to learn from books and it fuels the imagination. Read as many books as you can!"

Claire Martin, Home Manager at Hartismere Place, said: “We always enjoy involving the local community in our activities, so it was fantastic to visit Occold Primary School pupils. 

“Intergenerational activities are incredibly enriching for all ages and provide a fantastic opportunity for residents and children to interact with one another. The youngsters were able to soak up a wonderful story and the residents benefited from gaining a different perspective from the children on a popular story. It’s fantastic to organise a session such as this to allow the two generations to spend time with one another.

“We thoroughly enjoyed having a ‘Bedtime Stories’ reading session with the children and hope that we have helped them to continue building a love of reading.”

To watch four Bedtime Stories read by Care UK residents, or for more information about the Bedtime Stories initiative, visit: careuk.com/bedtime-stories

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, residential dementia, as well as short term respite care.

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