Angmering care home residents team up with youth group for DIY project

A care home in Angmering joined forces with a local Brownies group for International Repair Day. 

Residents at Ayton House, on Dapper’s Lane, 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 put their upcycling skills to the test and made bird boxes from reclaimed wood, working with the 1^st Angmering Brownies to decorate them.

The activity gave residents an opportunity to share their tips and tricks with the youngsters, from securing the roof panels to adding finishing touches to make each one unique.

Resident Rosamund Carpenter said: “I enjoyed the joy the children brought to the home. I loved getting involved and helping the children paint, it reminded me of my childhood!”

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

Joel Ignacio, Home Manager at Ayton House, said: “Residents here have a wealth of skills and life experiences, and the Fixer Uppers project has been a wonderful opportunity for them to share their knowledge with the younger generation.

“Whether it’s building, planting or simply lending advice, there’s a real sense of pride and purpose that comes from creating something with your hands. We’re also excited to be supporting our local wildlife with our creations, so we’re really looking forward to seeing a host of friendly birds appear in our garden!

“A big thank you to the Brownies for joining us to build bird boxes – it’s been a real pleasure working together.”

The bird box building activity was overseen by Ayton House’s dedicated sustainability champion, as part of Care UK’s bid to embed environmentally conscious practices across all homes. Sustainability champions work closely with the Care UK ESG advisory committee to identify opportunities for greener ways of working, from reducing waste to encouraging biodiversity in care home gardens. 

To find out more about Fixer Uppers, please visit careuk.com/Fixer-Uppers. 

Ayton House is a new state-of-the-art care home providing full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The building is designed to enable residents to lead enjoyable and fulfilling lives with its very own cinema, hair salon and pub, along with plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.