Stroud care home residents’ team up with schoolchildren for a DIY project

A care home in Stroud has joined forces with local schoolchildren and joined a nationwide campaign for International Repair Day. 

Residents at Scarlet House on Westward 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, at Scarlet House, residents teamed up with schoolchildren from St Matthew's C of E Primary School to build birdfeeders and learn how to knit.

Adrian Boldog, Home Manager at Scarlet House, 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 young people 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 St Matthew's C of E Primary School for coming to the home to learn how to knit and build birdfeeders. It was a brilliant afternoon, and we look forward to many more visits in the future.”

Launched to celebrate International Repair Day, the initiative aims to revive traditional repair skills – such as fixing furniture, mending clothes and tackling small maintenance jobs – and celebrate the invaluable knowledge older generations can pass on while promoting sustainability.

Scarlet House is a state-of-the-art care home that provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The care home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, and includes its own cinema, hair and beauty salon and pub.