Older People's Strategy - Newcastle City Council

41There are a number of initiatives linked to health and well-beingwhich lend themselves to bringing older and younger peopletogether e.g. healthy eating initiatives.Older people can be a resource to schools in providingadditional support to pupils on developing basic skills or byengaging in projects linked to the curriculum e.g. citizenship.The Newcastle Council of Faiths is supporting the ‘AcrossCommunities: The Young People’s Project’, which is providingopportunities for young people to hear and record the storiesof older members of their communities.The Magic PatchworkThe Magic Patchwork is a children’s book produced by writerMary Lowe and frailer older people who attend a day serviceat St Silas Church in Byker, supported by Age ConcernNewcastle. The book contains illustrations, vignettes andstories produced whilst Mary was in residence in 2005.As a follow-up to the publication, a series of workshops wererun in local primary schools. These were facilitated by Maryand introduced local older people to 9- and 10-year-olds;they shared their experiences of growing up and thetechniques that had produced the publication. For many ofthe children it was their first experience of meeting olderpeople in their 80s, and the knowledge and experience theyshared was met with excitement and rapture. The receptionfrom the teaching staff was equally enthusiastic.A grant from Neighbourhood Renewal Fund has beenawarded to explore further intergenerational links with thecentre and local schools such as a pen pal scheme.