Two generations have come together to make sure nobody feels alone during the coronavirus pandemic.
Students taking part in a personal development course run by Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service have spent time writing to residents of a Dereham care home to reassure them they have not been forgotten.
Young people on the 12-week Prince’s Trust Team programme recently completed a community project to fundraise and create a garden for residents of NorseCare’s St Nicholas House Care Home in Littlefields.
The bright outdoor space includes new raise beds, extra pathways, renovated benches and gazebos, solar lighting and lots of additional plants and shrubs.
The young people designed it, having raised more than £1,400 from two days of bag packing at Morrisons.
Dereham Team has been running remotely using technology which allows the young people to learn together from home.
The 11 participants decided that because they were no longer able to visit St Nicholas House they would instead write letters to let the staff and residents know they were thinking of them.
Lydia Durrant, youth development manager at Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: “When they asked to write to the residents, it was a lovely thought and we are very proud of all they have achieved this last couple of months in the most difficult of circumstances.”
Care home manager Pippa Riches said: “It was a lovely surprise for the residents to receive the letters and to know that the young people were interested in them and their wellbeing. Our residents had formed a really strong bond with them and are so happy to know people are thinking of them at a time when relatives and friends are unable to visit us.
“These letters were just what we needed to lift spirits and brought back fond memories of the times spent together on the garden project.”
Team projects usually run four times a year in Norwich, Dereham and King’s Lynn.
They are open to 16-25 year olds who are not in education, training or employment.
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