Pupils from Kinson Primary School Plant Time Capsule at Great Oaks

Residents and staff from Great Oaks, a residential, nursing and dementia specialist care home in Bournemouth, came together with pupils from Kinson Primary School and The Deputy Mayor of Bournemouth, to bury a time capsule in the care home garden.

Prior to the event, Great Oaks ran a competition which was open to all the pupils of Kinson Primary School to enter. All that the pupils had to do was submit one of their favourite memories shared with a grandparent or older family friend. Six winners were then chosen by their teachers and invited to attend the care home to put their award entries into a time capsule, before it is sealed and buried in Great Oaks’ garden.

The winners of the competition were Ellie Ashby, Cleo Rawlings and Lucy Curtis from Year 3, Oli Hayward from Year 2, and Anisah Begum and Tia Dixon from Year 6.

The pupils were treated to a grand tour of Great Oaks so that they could understand how a care home operates and also experience some of the interesting features of the home, such as the seaside and woods themed communal areas. Following the tour, a small ceremony was held for the six competition winners; joined by residents of the care home and The Deputy Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr Eddie Coope. All pupils were given the opportunity to read out their chosen memory before it was put into the time capsule.

Day Breaks resident, Ron, attended the ceremony and showed the pupils a song he had written about his late wife, which he wished to include in the time capsule. Other residents’ belongings were entered into the time capsule along with pictures of the grand opening and clippings from local newspapers. The children also met with resident Percy Cole, whose daughter works at Kinson Primary School.

Ian MacDonald, home manager of Great Oaks, said: ‘‘We were delighted to welcome the pupils of Kinson Primary School and The Deputy Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr Eddie Coope, to our care home for this special event. Having only recently opened, it was important for us to become fully integrated with the community and build strong relationships with our neighbours, including Kinson Primary School.

‘‘It was a pleasure to see the joy on the children’s faces as they met with our residents and we listened to the treasured memories of their loved ones. We hope this is just the beginning of a long-lasting relationship with the school.’’

Great Oaks is the latest addition of an established family of care homes managed by Encore Care Homes, with two other care homes in Dorset and Hampshire. At the heart of its care culture, Encore is committed to providing respect, dignity and wellbeing to all residents. As a reputable employer, only the kindest and most qualified healthcare professionals are employed. Regular in-depth training and development programmes are also provided to all staff.