Schoolchildren join Cardiff care home for journey into Christmas past

Old festive traditions have come to life at a care home in Cardiff, where residents welcomed a local primary school for a day of seasonal activities. 

Llys Herbert, on Ty-Draw Road in Lisvane, joined forces with young visitors from St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School to revisit customs from Christmases past.

The schoolchildren and residents got crafty, creating their very own special letters to Santa as well as making traditional Christmas decorations such as paper chains. 

Resident, Mary, said, “It was wonderful to enjoy this time with the very well-behaved children, teaching the next generation our old traditions of singing the 12 days of Christmas is so important. History must not be lost!”

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 sessions create a space for meaningful intergenerational connection. For further information on Step into Christmas, visit careuk.com/Step-into-Christmas.

Suzanne Tullet, Home Manager at Llys Herbert, said: “Christmas is such a special time of year, and this event allowed us to honour those memories from residents’ childhoods of writing letters to Santa and making their own festive decorations. 

“It was a wonderful opportunity to bring different generations together for a day of seasonal 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 St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School for joining us and making the day so joyous for all involved! Their presence brought an extra sparkle to the day.”

Llys Herbert is a state-of-the-art care home that provides full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to lead enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the home has its very own cinema, pub and hair and beauty salon, and there is plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.