Harrogate care home residents’ team up with local community for DIY projects

A care home in Harrogate has teamed up with the local community and joined a nationwide campaign for International Repair Day.

 

Residents at Harcourt Gardens on Harcourt Road have been rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into some hands-on DIY all in the name of sharing skills with the next generation.

As part of Care UK’s ‘Fixer Uppers’ programme, residents teamed up with the local community to revive traditional repair skills, such as fixing furniture, mending clothes, and tackling small maintenance jobs. The initiative, launched in the run-up to International Repair Day, aims to celebrate the invaluable knowledge older generations can pass on while promoting sustainability.

At Harcourt Gardens, residents teamed up with the children from Harcourt Day Nursery to decorate planters in the home’s gardens. In another collaboration, residents also worked with Harrogate Older People Community to showcase some of their knitting skills, creating handmade blankets together. 

Resident, Jean, said: “It is lovely to be able to make something useful instead of purchasing.  It's full of time and love with a personal touch, and you can look at it with happy memories.”

Jillian Shearer, Customer Relations Manager at Harcourt Gardens, said: “Residents have honed their DIY skills over a lifetime, and the Fixer Uppers’ project has been a fantastic way for them to connect with the community and share practical knowledge in a meaningful way.

“It was wonderful to see everyone fully engaged and residents swapping stories, learning from one another, and genuinely enjoying the process.

“We’d like to thank Harcourt Day Nursery and Harrogate Older People Community for coming to the home for knitting and decorating. It was a brilliant time, and we look forward to many more visits in the future.”

Designed to enable residents to lead active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Harcourt Gardens incorporates plenty of space for hobby and leisure activities and has its own cinema, pub and hair salon. The home provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care.