Today our visit to the care home was really special. We were celebrating one of our special friends 95th birthday which meant birthday cake and singing all round. One of the residents’ sons came in to visit today and as a retired fire fighter he had promised he would bring in some equipment to show us. We were amazed to see him walking in with some very large bags. We all sat down patiently in a circle and waited to see what treasures he had to show us. He produced some long trousers with braces which he said were called ‘leggings’ and then a big jacket called a ‘tunic’. He then reached into a bag and pulled out his fire fighter’s helmet. The children were wowed! Even more so when he asked if they would like to try them on. Everyone’s hands were raised to try them out. What an amazing surprise!

We also spent time with our friends’ sharing stories, drawing, threading, jigsaws, games and then we spent the rest of our afternoon outside playing in the glorious sunshine. Some of our older friends joined us and it was a great end to the day.

Our days at Winton Court are coming to an end and we cannot begin to explain the impact these interactions have had on everyone involved in the project. The children have made strong bonds with our wonderful residents and we have observed communication skills, confidence and independence surge. The children have shown how they can support others without the need for adult direction. The friendships made are completely authentic and the children are going to miss their friends when they head off to school. We are looking forward to our very last week where we will celebrate the end of our project together.