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

Residents at a care home in St Ives have been reading well-known bedtime stories to local nursery children as part of a nationwide initiative to celebrate National Storytelling Week. 

St Ives may seem a little quieter than usual after residents from Care UK’s Field Lodge, on London Road, welcomed youngsters from Meadow Lane Children’s Nursery into the home for a retelling of The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson.

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 Field Lodge, 77-year-old resident, Guy Grimley, read The Snail and the Whale to a group of the children as they listened eagerly. Guy said: “I was honoured to be asked to read to the children – it was so fun and reminded me of when I used to read to the children back when I was teaching!”

Linda Martinez, Home Manager at Field Lodge, said: “We always enjoy opening our doors to the local community, so it was fantastic to be joined by Meadow Lane Nursery 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 new story. It’s fantastic to host a session such as this to allow the two generations to spend time with one another.

“We thoroughly enjoyed hosting the ‘Bedtime Stories’ reading session with the schoolchildren 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

Field Lodge is a modern, purpose-built care home providing 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 a choice of lounges and dining rooms, along with facilities such as an activity room, cinema and hair salon. 

For more information about Field Lodge, contact Home Manager Linda Martinez on Linda.Martinez@careuk.com or call 01480 877638

For general information, visit careuk.com/field-lodge