November was a month of kindness at The Fed’s care home Heathlands Village with events spreading the message of doing good deeds to improve the lives of others.
As part of November 2023’s Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Science, The Fed organised a Festival of Kindness at its care home for older people at Heathlands Village, with Dr Eve Blezard.
The festival took the form of an intergenerational day on November 8, when residents were joined by the charity’s Mums ‘n’ Tots group in the morning, and in the afternoon by pupils from Butterstile Primary school.
Behind the shared games, songs, laughter, and plentiful carbs there was a serious purpose which is key to Dr Blezard’s area of study as she explained: “Every year the university takes part in the UK-wide Festival of Social Science which gets the academic world to help people understand what social science is and how it is applied.
“One of this year’s themes was ‘Lifelong Wellbeing’ and I saw an opportunity for a piece of work at Heathlands Village.
“My research interests are in how people connect to each other and where they live and the importance of healthy, vibrant communities and to me Heathlands Village and the community around it really embodies this. So, it was an ideal place to host a Festival of Social Science event to celebrate community spirit and help build intergenerational connections.
“The highlight of the day for me was stepping back and watching the children and the residents enjoying each other’s company” Dr Blezard added.
The Festival of Kindness was followed by Mitzvah Day, on 19th November, when Heathlands Village teamed up with the charity of the same name and PJ Library, the Jewish children’s book programme to create opportunities for story-sharing and brightening someone’s day.
The care home opened it’s doors for a storytime session in its activity centre when young visitors – both from the community including The Fed’s Project Smile Play & Learn group – stopped by to read a story with residents – learning that as well as looking after older generations, we have a lot to learn from them too.