Students from Hillview primary school join residents at Banbury care home to revisit favourite hobbies

Residents at a care home in Banbury have been revisiting their favourite hobbies and shared their skills with the younger generation.

Residents at Care UK’s Highmarket House, on North Bar Place, have been stepping back in time to enjoy an array of activities, including sewing, with local pupils as part of a nationwide initiative – Long Lost Hobbies.

The ‘Long Lost Hobbies’ initiative sees residents in Care UK homes across the country share their favourite hobbies and try new pastimes with younger generations after a national survey found 77 per cent of adults feel technology is the cause of traditional skills being lost, including flower arranging, knitting and woodworking.

To ensure the hobbies of older generations are not forgotten, residents at Highmarket House have been getting to the knitty-gritty and unwinding what makes their favourite pastime so enjoyable.

As part of the initiative, residents welcomed children from Hillview Primary School for a fun traditional pastimes’ session, which included calligraphy, sewing and knitting. The activities also gave residents an opportunity to revisit their past hobbies and share their top tips with the children, as well as getting to enjoy some delicious treats.

Francesca Cowley, home manager at Highmarket House, said: “We had a fantastic time taking part in our calligraphy, sewing and knitting activities with Hillview Primary School here at Highmarket House – all the traditional pastimes went down a treat.

“For those living with dementia, revisiting a past hobby, such as sewing, can help bring back memories, as well as providing an enjoyable way to connect with others through a familiar activity that once brought joy. These positive feelings gained from revisiting fond memories can help decrease stress, reduce agitation, and provide a feeling of success and confidence.

“Residents and team members at Highmarket House have loved revisiting their favourite hobbies with local pupils. It has been wonderful to hear residents talking about how they first discovered their favourite hobby and the fond memories this interest created – thank you to Hillview Primary School for joining us.”

For top tips on how you and your loved ones can revisit forgotten pastimes or discover new ones, please visit: careuk.com/long-lost-hobbies