Nursery joins Bury St Edmunds care home for journey into Christmas past

Old festive traditions have come to life at a care home in Bury St Edmunds, where residents welcomed a local nursery for a day of seasonal activities.

Care UK’s Glastonbury Court, on Glastonbury Road, joined forces with young visitors from Little Teapots Pre-School to revisit customs from Christmases past.

Residents created stockings for the children, filling them with traditional items they themselves would have received years ago, such as an orange, a chocolate tree decoration, and coins. They also enjoyed making paper chains together.

The festivities incorporated a special visit from the main man himself, Father Christmas, who handed out gifts to the children.

Resident Barbara Warwick, 97, said: “It was such a lovely morning with the children. They were so good at making paper chains, and it was lovely to see their faces light up when Father Christmas came. It’s important to share memories of Christmases past — even when money was scarce, my parents always made sure we still had surprises on the day.”

The event was part of Care UK’s ‘Step into Christmas’ initiative, which aims to revive residents’ festive traditions by encouraging them to share memories with the younger generation. 

By blending storytelling, crafts and carol singing, the celebrations create a space for meaningful intergenerational connection. 

Ana Mihai, Home Manager at Glastonbury Court, said: “Christmas is such a special time of year, and this event allowed us to honour those memories from residents’ childhoods of making paper chains and filling stockings with gifts.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to bring different generations together for a day of festive cheer. It was truly heartwarming to watch residents reminisce and share stories from Christmases gone by. 

“We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Little Teapots nursery for joining us and making the day so joyous for all involved! Their presence brought an extra sparkle to the day.”

For more information about Step into Christmas, visit careuk.com/Step-into-Christmas.

Glastonbury Court is a modern care home providing full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to lead enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the building has its very own cinema, hair and beauty salon and pub, and there is plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.