Harrow care home residents team up with local students for a DIY project

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

Residents at Care UK’s Buchanan Court on Sudbury Hill 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, the team at Buchanan Court teamed up with students from Harrow College to redecorate one of the residents' rooms. Starting with a blank canvas, they picked colours to create a calming and comforting environment for Gay Wilsmore’s room. They chose a blue theme and found fun accessories to decorate.

Having sharpened their DIY skills over the years, Lynda and Gay shared their tips and tricks with the young volunteers on how to paint in corners and reduce streaking.

Gay said: “It's so much fun having different people of all ages coming into our home, learning and passing on skills from one to the next!”

Laurentiu Iordachescu, Home Manager at Buchanan Court, 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 the students at Harrow College for coming to the home to help decorate residents’ rooms. It was a brilliant afternoon, and we look forward to many more visits in the future.”

Launched in the approach to Saturday’s 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.

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

Buchanan Court provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing 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 room, pub and hair and beauty salon, and there is plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.