Schoolchildren serenade The Spinney residents with a special carol service

Schoolchildren from Normanhurst School spread lots of festive cheer

Schoolchildren from Normanhurst School in Waltham Forest spread lots of festive cheer when they sang classic carols and played their musical instruments for residents at The Spinney Care Home.

The award winning 44 bed care home on 21 Forest View, Chingford, is a dementia and palliative care specialist home, which offers residential, dementia and end of life care. They are rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and recently won a Great British Care Award for ‘Dignity in Care’.

The children visit the home once a month taking part in various activities, from balloon tennis and games to crafts and mindful colouring. On this occasion, the residents watched with sheer joy on their faces as the children gathered around the home’s lit-up Christmas tree to perform.

84-year-old Doreen loves to chat with the children and comes alive when they arrive. “I just love having the little ones here so much”, she said, “It makes me feel very happy and warm inside”.

Centenarian resident Joan, 102, is spending her first Christmas at the home. The children are fascinated by her age and she adores seeing them. “I enjoy having the children with us as I was once one myself!” she said. “I am always extremely happy to see them all.”

The home and school exchanged handmade Christmas cards, which were personally handed out, and the children, as always, made sure to speak with each and every resident before leaving.

The home’s lifestyle lead, Julie, works hard to maintain the home’s strong links with the community and cherishes the bond they have with Normanhurst School.

“I love the relationship between the children and our residents,” she said. “The benefits are clear to see. The residents are so engaged when the children are here and even those who are often quieter come alive and chat.

“The children bring tremendous joy and warmth with them every time they are here and there is always an amazing atmosphere of pure happiness in the room.”

Care home manager, Vicky Parsons, said, “We love inviting the children into our home. These visits are really special and they mean so much to the residents.

“It’s incredibly important to us as a home that we maintain these strong links with the community as it enables us to support our residents to live lives full of meaning and purpose.

“The team go above and beyond to make our residents happy and to make sure Christmas is magical for them and this performance from Normanhurst School was no exception. It was the perfect way to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.”