Connecting generations.
Strengthening communities.
Transforming lives.

Looking forward to Mondays

Rose is an older adult that lives alone. She had recently suffered from depression, and day centre staff have noticed a huge difference in her overall demeanour since attending the Brighter Together sessions.

Rose absolutely loves taking part in the sessions and often talks about how much they mean to her. Each week, she joins in with enthusiasm and enjoys chatting, playing, and building relationships with the children. During the school holidays, she counts down the Mondays until the children are back, saying how much she misses seeing them. The nursery invited the adults to attend the nursery graduation, and Rose speaks of this as one of her favourite memories – this made her feel incredibly proud and included.

The Brighter Together sessions have become an important part of Rose’s week, giving her something to look forward to and talk about. Seeing the children each week has given her a real sense of purpose, brought her lots of joy, and helped her feel connected to her community.

Names and images have been changed to respect people’s privacy.

Building empathy and compassion

At the beginning of the project, Hudson (age 4) was quite reserved during the sessions at the care home. He was often hesitant to speak to the residents or contribute in front of the wider group. He preferred to observe carefully before joining in and tended to let other children take the lead.

As the weeks progressed, the nursery staff saw a remarkable growth in his confidence. Hudson developed a lovely relationship with one resident in particular and began initiating regular conversations with them. He became increasingly comfortable communicating with the residents and gradually found his voice within the group.

Perhaps the most noticeable change was the way his empathy and thoughtfulness flourished – he started to consider the residents’ needs and enjoyment before his own. During one craft activity, he kindly suggested, “You can keep this bunting and use it for your birthday parties at the care home”. On another occasion, while making friendship bracelets, he carefully explained, “I’m going to make two bracelets for you first, then I’ll do my one,” demonstrating kindness and generosity.

This project supported his communication skills, confidence, empathy and sense of belonging. It provided meaningful opportunities to form genuine relationships with older people, helping him to grow into a more confident communicator while allowing his naturally caring and considerate personality to shine.

Names and images have been changed to respect people’s privacy.

Finding her voice

When Katy (age 4) first joined our Tuesday sessions, she barely spoke.

Katy had delayed speech and was receiving support from a speech therapist. Nursery staff had noticed that she often struggled to communicate with others and lacked confidence in group situations. During his first two Brighter Together sessions, she stayed very quiet and rarely interacted with either the older adults or the other children.

But over the following weeks, something began to change.

The nursery staff noticed that Katy seemed far more relaxed in the calm and welcoming environment of the sessions. The older adults gave her time and space to communicate at her own pace, listening patiently and responding warmly whenever she joined in. Through singing songs and sharing activities with the older adults each week, Katy began joining conversations more and more. Soon, she was chatting about her holidays, favourite toys and proudly sharing stories from home.

Staff saw a clear difference not only during the sessions themselves, but back at nursery too. Katy became more willing to speak in group activities, more confident interacting with other children and more comfortable expressing herself with adults. For everyone involved, it was wonderful to watch her find her voice.

Names and images have been changed to respect people’s privacy.