Reunited and it feels so good!

TLN Intergenerational Linking programmes bring together young people in schools or youth groups with older people living in care homes, independent living or from community groups. Through Intergenerational Linking, young and older people share time and stories which creates meaningful and lasting relationships between generations.

In 1943 Harold was an apprentice in the Highfields area of Leicester; working with wood and never having had his own suitcase, he decided to make himself one. He wrote his name and address in it and kept it safe for a while but sadly very soon afterwards he lost contact with the case.

80 years later, whilst a resident in Graysford Hall Care Home, Leicester, one of his carers, Claire was looking around a charity shop in Leicester and saw a suitcase…..something made her take a closer look, opening it and reading the name and address inside she immediately realised it was Harold’s!

She bought it and the following day she reunited it with Harold who could not believe his eyes!

The incredible story of ‘The Lost Suitcase’ is now forming part of an Intergenerational Linking activity for two schools in Leicester.

Children from Mayflower and Medway Primaries have both had visits from Harold and heard directly from him, all the details, of this amazing story.

They are now busy writing stories using their imaginations to decide where the suitcase has been for 80 years and who they think it has been using it.

Harold will read all the story entries with a ‘reading group’ of his fellow residents at the care home and pick a winning story of the suitcase’s journey. The winning writer and their school will receive book tokens as prizes for their hard work.