At Friends for Life we have seen first-hand what a difference befriending can make on all levels and giving residents the chance to form intergenerational relationships has a big impact on their mental wellbeing. 

Our Aim

As part of the charity’s aim to increase the contact the residents have with the world outside the care home,  we want to facilitate and help schools build relationships with local care homes to not only enhance the quality of life for the residents but to also teach the children valuable life and communication skills.

There are many different ways that we can work with school and we are always excited to make new links between schools and care homes.

School Scheme

Our school scheme links schools to care homes.  This is something we started in 2020, during lockdown, when face to face visits were not possible.  It involved a class of children committing to send something to residents once a month over a period of a year.  We are working with local schools to embed this within their curriculum and to develop this scheme further.  Please do get in touch if you would like to be part of this as it develops.

Volunteering

This can take various forms, but the one we have found to be most successful is groups of students visit the homes with a pre-arranged activity for a group of residents i.e. craft activities, flower arranging, cake decoration, singing, playing instruments, etc. Younger pupils can feel nervous and intimidated in a care home environment and we’ve found that these activities can help to break the ice and help longer term relationships develop.

Events/activities

The possibilities are endless here depending upon the age group of children involved.  Mini music recitals, poetry readings, dance shows, afternoon teas.  These kind of events can bring great joy to residents, even those with illnesses such as dementia.

For both of the above there are logistical and health and safety implications which we can discuss and work with you on.

Sponsorship

To support the growth of the charity and the services we offer we are always looking for help with funding.  Charity bake sales, fun runs, any sponsored activities really do make a big difference and also teach children a variety of skills.

FFL are happy to come in and run assemblies or give talks about what the charity does and help the children understand what life in a care home might be like.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss all of the above as well as schools’ own thoughts and ideas in line with their values.

We see this as very much a partnership and would be able to promote your school across our social media channels and our website.  We would be happy for you to use our logo as well on your own channels.

If you would like to have a chat about potentially working together please contact us on hello@friendsforlife.org.uk