Chichester care home residents team up with local school for a DIY project

A care home in Chichester has teamed up with a local school and joined a nationwide campaign for International Repair Day.

Residents at Care UK’s Chichester Grange, on Grosvenor Road in Donnington, 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 Parklands Community Primary School 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.

As part of the initiative, residents at Chichester Grange rolled up their sleeves and held a special, laughter-filled sculpture workshop for pupils at Parklands Community Primary School. Working together, everyone created a host of realistic flowers and poppies out of clay, with residents sharing their best artistic tips and tricks with the children.

Resident Angela Thorne, aged 80, said: “I loved making the poppies, it was so nostalgic as I remember making them at school too. It was such a fun activity to make something meaningful out of clay with the children and share my knowledge with them.”

Nikki Burke, Home Manager at Chichester Grange, said: “The intergenerational workshop was filled with laughter, learning and one surprise – while we found out clay is great for crafting sculptures, one child learnt it is definitely not a snack! 

“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.

“We’d like to thank Parklands Community Primary School for coming to the home to help create the Remembrance Day display. It was a brilliant afternoon, and we look forward to many more visits in the future.”

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

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while also promoting independence, Chichester Grange offers residential, nursing and specialist dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, with luxury facilities including a cinema, hair and beauty salon, pub and stunning gardens. It achieved ‘care home design of the year’ at the Leaders in Care Awards 2022.