Intergenerational Linking  – Enjoying each other’s company through fun, imaginative play

Children from St Joseph’s Primary School and residents at Wingfield Care Home came together on Tuesday for an afternoon of storytelling and imagination, as part of a connection formed through the Intergenerational Play project. The session was led by Laura Baker from Debutots, who delivers interactive storytelling and dramatic play classes. Laura regularly leads sessions at Wingfield, creating opportunities for residents and children to enjoy each other’s company through fun, imaginative play.

The link between St Joseph’s Primary School and Wingfield was formed through the Intergenerational Play project, which paired 20 primary schools with 20 nearby care homes to build connections through shared experiences including music, dance, storytelling and multisensory play. The project was commissioned by Bradford 2025 and delivered by The Linking Network as part of the Bradford 2025 PLAY programme.

“We, as a school, thoroughly enjoy visiting the residential home and joining in with Laura and the residents. The children are always so excited to visit and look forward to seeing what the theme might be each time. We count ourselves very lucky to be given such a lovely opportunity and hope to continue our visits long into the future.” – Year 1 Class Teacher, St Joseph’s Primary

One particularly memorable moment earlier in the project came when a child recognised her grandad among the residents at the home. It was the first time she had seen him since he moved into Wingfield. Her mum was so happy to know her daughter was seeing her grandad amongst her friends, and the child proudly introduced him to everyone.

“Being part of the Intergenerational Linking project last year was wonderful. It was evident from the first joint session that interactions between the two generations were beneficial to all and it’s been a joy to facilitate that through Debutots interactive storytelling, which we call Joining Generations with Imagination. The continuation of these sessions after the initial project ended just shows how valued they are. I personally look forward to these visits as much as the children and residents do and it’s really a pleasure to see the bonds that have formed between us all this past year.” – Laura Baker, Creative Practitioner