Residents at a care home in Cheadle picked up their pencils and went back to the drawing board for The Big Draw Festival 2021.

 

Residents and team members at Care UK’s Abney Court, in Abney Hall Park, have partnered with pioneering charity, The Big Draw, for a third successful year to promote the therapeutic benefits of drawing for expression and promoting positive wellbeing.

 

As part of their event, residents teamed up with pupils at Cheadle Primary School, who used to visit the home often prior to the pandemic, to create a nature-themed mural. The final piece, titled ‘Memories of Nature’, features drawings of various landscapes as well as written stories about nature across the decades.

 

Launched in 2000 as part of the ‘Campaign for Drawing’, the month-long Big Draw Festival promotes drawing as a tool for learning, and invention, and has encouraged over four million people to get arty since its inception. ‘Make the Change’, this year’s theme, focuses on the relationship between people and their living environments, and offers a great opportunity for older people to reminisce about their favourite nature spots, how the environment has changed, and look to the future at what action can be taken to help safeguard the natural world in light of the climate crisis.

 

Andrew McIntyre, Home Manager at Abney Court, said: “Art and intergenerational activities are a huge part of life here at Abney Court, and even though we may have been unable to meet in person, it was fantastic to be reunited with Cheadle Primary School for our nature-themed art project.

 

“Intergenerational relationships have proven to be incredibly enriching, as they provide an opportunity for younger and older generations to learn from each other. These relationships can be particularly beneficial for older people, as they can offer a sense of purpose and prompt conversations as residents reflect on their younger years.

 

“We’d like to say a big thank you to Cheadle Primary School pupils for taking part, and we can’t wait to join forces again soon for some arty fun!”

 

After a successful participation in the Big Draw Festival in the past two years, Care UK renewed its partnership in 2021 as the main health and social care partner and leading the way in changing perceptions of life in a care home by promoting activity-based care and encouraging other care homes to follow suit. Across the country, Care UK homes have been getting creative and working with their local communities virtually to create works of art around the theme ‘Make the Change’.

 

Abney Court has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.

 

To find out more about Abney Court care home, email Pamela Wilson, Customer Relations Manager at pamela.wilson@careuk.com or call 0161 660 5713.

 

For more general information about Abney Court, please visit careuk.com/abney-court