A lesson in Christmas sharing and caring at Belong Crewe

Residents from Belong Crewe welcomed pupils from local Vine Tree Primary School in a bid to promote engagement with older people and to encourage sharing and companionship across the generations during the festive period.
Around 60 pupils from the school visited Belong Crewe to perform a selection of Christmas carols and hymns for residents, bringing with them special cards with personalised Christmas messages for every resident at the village.
The event aimed to encourage young people from the local community to make time to engage and interact with the older generation and to provide fun and companionship to residents at Belong Crewe, some of whom will not have visitors over the festive period.
The village was decked with festive décor and seasonal treats, including mince pies, were on hand for residents and pupils. Staff, residents and visitors embraced the Christmas atmosphere, wearing Christmas jumpers and hats and, as a special thank you, Father Christmas made an appearance at the village with a small gift for each child.
Michelle Bell, General Manager at Belong Crewe, commented: “We wanted to do something to help to make Christmas a fun and special time for both our residents and the children, and I was delighted to see everybody so happy and engaged.
“Some of our residents have no family or friends outside of the village so it was wonderful to see them getting in the Christmas spirit. Belong is open to everybody and we hope that this will encourage more young people from the local community to come along and be excited about spending time with the older generation.”

Pictured: Michelle with the schoolchildren in The Bistro.