Beloved Characters Come to Life for World Book Day at Chartwell House

Cliftonville Primary School, Margate, Reading Ambassadors were treated to a day of whimsy, magic and literary delights as part of World Book Day at new Thanet care home, Chartwell House.

To celebrate World Book Day 2023, team at Chartwell House Care Home created a reading corner for the school children and took dressing up as children’s story characters to a whole new level with the aim to inspire local child that reading is for fun, not just for school.

Characters included, Neytiri from Avatar, Cruella Deville, Shrek, The Queen of Heaters, Mrs Trunchball, Matilda, Piglet, Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter. Delighting the children with their bright colourful costumes.

Pupils in attendance were the Reading Ambassadors of Cliftonville Primary with the aim of the visit to endorse the schools new reading ambassador scheme. The Reading Ambassadors ahead of the visit went out and choose books especially for the event.

With the value of intergenerational experiences between young people and older people alike widely acknowledged. Residents at the care home, including Susan, a former primary school teacher, spent time listening to the children read chapters from the books and in turn, read stories to the children.

Kathleen a resident at Chartwell House was overheard expressing how joyous the experience was. “It was lovely having the children visit today, they read so well for their age and were so polite, I hope they visit again.”

Diane Collins, Home Manager at Chartwell House who led the way with her fabulous Avatar costume celebrated the occasion:
“It was just fantastic to welcome the children of Cliftonville Primary School to Chartwell House Care Home. Seeing their faces light up at my team’s costumes was magical and listening to them reading to the residents was beautiful. Intergenerational opportunities are so important and prove to be an incredibly valuable experience for both young and old.”

Speaking after the event, Admissions Manager, Jude Coveney was delighted with the outcome. “We had always planned to make World Book Day 2023 a special day for the residents of our home. It was so special to see the children reading to the residents.”