Edinburgh primary school bring Christmas cheer to retirement housing residents with hampers as Covid-19 stops their carol singing

Ireen Opara and Elliot Hosey both from P7 have built up a very positive relationship with the local residents in Brookwell Court Sheltered Housing in Muirhouse over the past couple of years. At this time of year, they usually visit with the Christmas Choir, but due to current restrictions they are not able to do this - so are delivering Christmas hampers So, our P7s have made Christmas Gift Parcels to give to all the residents this year. They include 2 tins of soup, a tin of beans, a knitted hat and scarf, a shower gel, a small selection box, a homemade tealight and a Christmas card. The class will deliver them before the end of term, and they will be quarantined before being given to the residents. We are delighted to be able to do this and maintain contact with the residents during these challenging times.

Primary seven students from St David’s RC Primary have spent the last two weeks taking part in a range of activities to create winter warmer packs for residents of Brookwell Court retirement housing in Muirhouse.

The school, which ran an intergenerational music programme with Scottish Opera a couple of years ago, saw nursery and primary five children create a song with elderly residents from the care home and perform at the Festival Theatre.

Since then, the relationship between the school and the residents of Brookwell Court has continued to be nurtured yearly with Christmas carols and small parties from the children visiting the development.

However, due to coronavirus restrictions this year, the school have had to be creative and have created the hampers to delight the residents and continue their intergenerational relationship.

Angela Burgess, deputy head teacher at St David’s RC said: “We started carol singing at Christmas and would have a small party in the shared complex and we managed to do it last year, but not long after last Christmas lockdown came into effect.

“Because we haven’t been able to see the resident’s this year, the primary sevens’, who were the primary fives’ who took part in the intergenerational project a couple of years ago had made them a card to say sorry that we can’t see you but we’re thinking of you at the beginning of lockdown.

“When we came back to school we were able to set up a foodbank and we were overwhelmed with donations, so I said to the P7s, why don’t we make the winter warmer packs for the Brookwell residents.”

The children have made 15 hampers in total, 12 for women in the housing and three for the men and worked with Brookwell Court, who are part of the Bield group, to see what was needed.

The packs are filled with toiletries, canned foods and winter warmers such as hats and gloves along with hand-decorated candle holders and gifts which will be delivered to Brookwell Court in the coming week.

Angela added: “They’ve had a ball making the hampers, it has been like Santa’s workshop.

“A lot of the children at our school perhaps don’t have grandparents, or have grandparents that live in other countries that they are not able to see regularly which has made the friendship they have created with the elderly people at Brookwell so much more meaningful. They have an incredible relationship.

“As well as it being a nice Christmas gift, we want to communicate to the residents and the wider community that although they find themselves in this situation, which has been extremely difficult this year with many of them having to shield, they are still valued members of the community and haven’t been forgotten about. It’s a message of hope and unity which, as a Catholic school, is at the heart of our lives here, to bring the gospel values to life.”

In the coming week, the children will walk along to Brookwell Court to personally deliver the hampers, which will be taken in by staff and quarantined before giving to the residents.

Although the children will not be able to go inside the property, they will bring the Christmas spirit to the courtyard for the residents as they bring a speaker along to sing and dance along to for those living there to enjoy.

Coleen Clark, business support officer at Bield, said: "Lockdown has highlighted just how lucky we are to have a great community link and how it is so important for our customers.

"Brookwell Court are very grateful for the relationship they have with St Davids Primary School and work closely on several intergenerational projects."

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