Witney care home residents and local children unite for intergenerational environmental initiative for World Bee Day

A care home in Witney recently participated in a newly launched environmental initiative, bringing together local primary school children and residents for a day of bee-themed activities and learning about the environment.

Care UK’s Millers Grange, on Curbridge Road, invited children from St Hugh of Lincoln Nursery School to join residents as they took part in Generations of Change, an intergenerational initiative that has been launched for World Bee Day to unite older and younger people in a shared mission of environmental stewardship.  

 

The new Care UK Generations of Change programme aims to harness the wisdom of older members of society and the fresh perspectives of children during hands-on activities linked to biodiversity, climate change and sustainable gardening, creating opportunities for a fulfilling knowledge exchange that will benefit the planet.   

Residents of Millers Grange taught youngsters about bees and their environmental importance. The activities included bee-related arts and crafts, a story about bees, and concluded with honey tasting.

Ex-primary school teacher and Millers Grange resident Margaret Stewart, 92, said: “It was wonderful to read with the nursery children and engage with them on the importance of Bee’s! Children should be taught to value the environment because it will instil in them, even at a very young age, how important it is. We had so much fun buzzing around and tasting honey.”

Aligned with school curriculums, this will be the first of many Generations of Change projects at Millers Grange which will bring a unique bidirectional learning model into the home that allows residents to mentor children on traditional conservation practices while young people share modern perspectives on sustainable living during their shared environmental projects.

Beyond environmental education, this initiative aims to combat loneliness in older people by fostering meaningful connections that promote a sense of purpose, enriching the lives of both generations as they work together towards a more sustainable future. 

Care UK has also created downloadable packs with resources for teachers and groups, including fun, interactive activities to help facilitate intergenerational lessons, with the educational packs covering topics from biodiversity to food sustainability, climate change and recycling. 

Rachel Scurr, Home Manager at Millers Grange said: “We were thrilled to see both the children and residents so engaged in the bee activities. The joy on their faces as they worked together to learn about the importance of bees and the impact they have on our planet was wonderful to see. 

“The Generations of Change initiative creates a wonderful opportunity for residents and children to learn from one another, fostering meaningful connections in a truly rewarding way. Witnessing this initiative come to life has been incredible. Everyone had a great time, and I’d like to say a big thank you to St Hugh of Lincoln Nursery School for being part of our mission.”

For more information about Care UK’s Generations of Change, including a series of downloadable lesson plans for schools to help children understand important sustainability topics, visit careuk.com/generations-of-change

In 2024, Care UK secured official accreditation for the high standards it used to measure corporate greenhouse gas emissions, an important milestone in its journey of reducing carbon emissions and achieving net zero by 2040. Care UK continues to work towards having at least one Sustainability Champion in each of their 160+ homes and Generations of Change complements the organisation’s ESG values and dedication to sustainability, community and intergenerational relationships. 

More than 99% of Care UK’s general waste was diverted from landfill last year, alongside the reduction of unnecessary pharmaceutical waste, and investments continue to be made in home upgrades such as environmentally friendly LED lighting and salary sacrifice schemes to encourage team members to cycle or switch to electric vehicles. 

Millers Grange is a modern care home which provides full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable its 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 in and outdoors for relaxation and recreation.