A Dickens of a good time at Kingsway
A Warwickshire County Council scheme to bring together older and younger generations saw the users of the housebound library service entertained by an artful performance of Oliver at Kingsway Community Primary School.
The youngsters told their guests to ‘consider themselves at home’ in a festive friends scheme. Older people who use the housebound libraries service were each designated a pupil who greeted them at the school, exchanged Christmas cards and had a chat, cuppa and a mince pie.
And it didn’t stop there; with the older people ‘wanting more’, the youngsters then treated them to a sneak preview of their Christmas musical performance of Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’. The partnership between the housebound service and Kingsway will be reprised in June with the visitors attending the school for a summer show.
Gurdeep Punni, a year six pupil of Kingsway, met and greeted Rose Cashmore of Warwick before taking his place in the choir, said: “It was nice to see Rose and I was pleased that she was looking forward to the show. I enjoyed meeting her and chatting to her.”
Rose said: “I am largely confined to the house nowadays and my own grandchildren have grown up so it was good to come and be among children again. And the show was brilliant; Gurdeep and the other children put on a lovely show.”
The libraries housebound service is a partnership between Warwickshire County Council’s libraries service and Age Concern Warwickshire takes books, cassettes and audio books around Warwickshire to older people who cannot get to their local library.
Councillor Colin Hayfield, portfolio holder for Adult and Community Services with the county council, said: “This partnership is a wonderful idea as it enriches the lives of both generations, particularly the older people who, although housebound, are able to keep up a presence in the community.”