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

Residents at a care home in Stroud have been reading well-known bedtime stories to local nursery children as part of a nationwide initiative to encourage more young people to read.

Stroud may seem a little quieter than usual after residents from Care UK’s Scarlet House, on Westward Road, welcomed youngsters from Co-Operative Childcare Caincross into the home for a retelling of a number popular children’s books.

The stories included a range of classic children’s favourites, including Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

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 Scarlet House, 95-year-old resident, Ruby, read to the children and said: “I’ve always enjoyed reading and loved reading to my children and grandchildren when they were younger. Everyone knew and loved the stories!”

Lyndsey Dixon, Home Manager at Scarlet House, said: “We always enjoy opening our doors to the local community, so it was fantastic to be joined by children from Co-Operative Childcare Caincross. 

“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 some well-known stories. 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

Scarlet House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia, nursing dementia and short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.

For more information on Scarlet House please call Customer Relations Manager, Katerina Pippi, on 01453 358395, or email katerina.pippi@careuk.com 

For more general information, please go to careuk.com/scarlet-house