Wateringbury Church of England Primary School pupils took part in National Storytelling Week today by taking part in a reading session with residents at Greensted, a Wateringbury residential home.
To celebrate National Storytelling Week, an annual event that is run by the Society for Storytelling and is in its twelfth year, staff at Greensted residential home invited pupils from nearby Wateringbury Church of England School to the home to hold their own event with residents.
The event encourages all areas of the community to get involved in creating and enjoying storytelling, so a mixture of generations gathering together to celebrate was a wonderful way to mark the occasion.
On Thursday 9th February, pupils from the school visited the home and read stories to residents gathered in the reading lounge, including Hairy Maclary and Five Minutes Peace. Afterwards the residents told the children a few stories of their own over a cup of tea and a cake, and were very complimentary about the readings that the children carried out.
Greensted are fortunate enough to enjoy a close relationship with the primary school and visits between the two are becoming a frequent occurrence. Wateringbury Church of England Primary School Headteacher Mrs Vinall commented: “We asked the children in assembly who wanted to visit and they all put their hand up; they really enjoy coming along. One of our pupils even visits on weekends now with her mum as she has made friends with Bea, a resident at the home. I’m delighted that we’ve managed to establish such a good relationship.”
William, Daisy Richards, Luke and Percy Clements at Greensted.
Reflecting on the event, Louise Russell, Greensted home administrator commented: “The residents really love it when the school visits, they think of the children as their friends now so when I heard about National Storytelling Week I knew that we’d have to get them involved. It was a fabulous morning and the atmosphere was wonderful. We’re already looking forward to future visits!”
For more pictures from the day, please see our facebook page.