Mar 2022
Children’s artwork decorates site of new Wheatley care home
Children from Wheatley CE Primary School have used their creative talents to help decorate the hoarding around the site of a new care home that is being built in the village.
The new 65 bed purpose-built care home on Park Hill in Wheatley, due to open in 2023, will be operated by care home provider St John’s Care Trust (SJCT). The provider asked children at local Wheatley CE Primary School to produce a piece of artwork that reflects what caring means to them and some of the resulting pieces have been selected to decorate the hoarding surrounding the building site.
Submitted by children between the ages of six and 11, many of the pieces included hearts and rainbow motifs, inspired by the outpouring of gratitude felt by the nation during lockdown for key workers like carers.
SJCT Deputy CEO Kerry Dearden said: “It has been very touching to see what caring means to children of different ages, and we are honoured to display their artwork on our hoarding.”
Gill Standing, Headteacher of Wheatley CE Primary School, said: “We are really pleased to be able to be involved with our local community in this way and the children love doing anything artistic so they enjoyed this challenge.
She added: “‘Loving’ is one of our key school values and we spoke to the children while they created their artwork about what it means to be loving and caring.”
Colleagues from SJCT met with Mrs Standing and some of the children involved to award them with art supplies to thank them for their involvement with the project.
Kerry Dearden added: “At SJCT we pride ourselves on having great relationships with the local communities surrounding our homes and we are delighted that the community in Wheatley have been keen to be involved with our newest home right from the beginning of the development. We very much look forward to more future interaction with Wheatley Primary School and its creative pupils.”
The new luxury home, which SJCT is developing alongside Frontier Estates and Lawrence Baker Limited, will provide older adults with all-inclusive residential and dementia care. An SJCT spokesperson says the home will provide opportunity for employment, living, and social engagement in the Wheatley community and its residents will benefit from landscaped gardens and state-of-the-art facilities, including a bistro café, fitness suite and private dining room.