Sway care home residents team up with nursery for DIY project

A care home in Sway has joined forces with a local nursery for International Repair Day.

Residents at Sway Place, on Church 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, the residents welcomed children from Little Flyers Pre-School to build and decorate an array of vibrant bird boxes.

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 and former nursery nurse Anne Parry said: “It was lovely to see their little faces light up as they watched their boxes take shape.

“I’ve always believed it is important to fix and make things where you can; it teaches us care, patience and respect for the world around us.”

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 champion the invaluable knowledge older generations can pass on while promoting sustainability.

Francis Bosompim, General Manager at Sway Place, 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 Little Flyers Pre-School for coming to the home to build bird boxes. It was a brilliant afternoon and we look forward to many more visits in the future.”

The bird box building activity was overseen by Sway Place’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 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.

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Sway Place provides full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, with the layout of the building configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities. There are also 14 independent-living cottages – a perfect choice for individuals or couples.