Residents of Banbury care home read bedtime stories to local nursery children

Both the children and the care home residents enjoyed the bedtime story reading very much.

Residents of a Banbury care home have been spending their afternoons reading bedtime stories to nursery children.

The residents of Highmarket House welcomed the youngsters from the Child First Nursery into the home for an afternoon of retelling several popular children’s books.

The readings were part of the Bedtime Stories initiative, which sees care home residents across the UK read classic bedtime stories to young children as a way of celebrating National Storytelling Week.

67-year-old Highmarket House resident Christine read The Gingerbread Man to the children. She said: "It was lovely to interact with and read to the children, it reminded me of reading to my own son when he was young.

The readings were organised to celebrate National Storytelling Week.

"I’ve been fortunate that reading has always been part of my life, my dad used to read to me every night to encourage me to go to bed on time, I read to my son and now my son reads to his children too."

The bedtime stories campaign also includes the launch of four free videos of the residents reading famous stories, which ensures that children who may not have a grandparent do not miss out on a magical tale at bedtime.

Francesca Cowley, home manager at Highmarket House, said: "We’ve had a wonderful week of storytelling here at Highmarket House. Whether it’s Peter Pan flying us to Neverland or Alice taking us down the rabbit hole, children’s literature is often the first key to unlocking our imaginations and nurturing a lifelong love of reading, so it was great to welcome the youngsters from Child First Nursery to Highmarket House.

"We all remember stories told to us as children, often before bedtime, and find comfort in adulthood in these nostalgic memories. We’re thrilled Care UK has launched the Bedtime Stories initiative, it’s wonderful to have children benefiting from residents reading them stories both in our home and right across the UK with the fantastic videos.

"It has been heartwarming to see the residents share stories from their own childhood and read some classic books with the children. We look forward to welcoming the children back to Highmarket House very soon."

To watch the four bedtime stories read by care home residents from Norwich or for more information about the Bedtime Stories initiative, visit careuk.com/bedtime-stories