The Orchard Joins Artists And Residents Community Art Project
Residents at The Orchard love to welcome young people into the home for a chat – or a round of stories and games when smaller children visit – but the opportunity to be sketched by a group of students was something new!
Earlier this month The Orchard was invited to take part in a community art project, initiated by Maggie Dodd from Anna Chaplaincy St Albans and supported by the Mayor and Mayoress of St Albans.
‘All Ages Together’ Inspires Community to Come Together Through Art
Anna Chaplaincy is a nationwide network that offers spiritual and emotional support to older people. The Orchard has a longstanding relationship with Maggie and she told the team of an exciting project they had devised, which was inspired by the Mayor’s theme for his year in office – ‘All Ages Together’. The Orchard won the Mayor’s special Intergenerational Award at the Mayor’s Pride Awards back in March, so they were keen to take part in the new initiative.
The Arts and Residents Community Art Project was created as a way of linking some of the communities the St Albans Anna Chaplaincy supports with the students at Samuel Ryder Academy to create an ‘inspirational body of artistic work’. Would residents at The Orchard like to be drawn by students from the art class? Affirmative!
The Orchard Residents – and Canine Visitor – Make Good Subjects For Student Artists
A date was confirmed, and residents excitedly gathered to ‘sit’ for the student artists. The group arrived with their art teacher, Emily Rudd, along with Maggie Dodd, Cathy Budd our volunteer and the Mayor and Mayoress, who are huge advocates for intergenerational projects in the city and are well known for their visits to The Orchard. There was a lovely, relaxed atmosphere in the lounge as students sketched and residents chatted, laughed and tried to catch a glimpse of their portraits during the session. PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog Daisy, happened to be visiting residents that day too, and was a very enthusiastic model!
Finished Portraits On Display and Published in a Booklet
Residents were hugely impressed by the results with Peggy remarking when she saw her sketch, “I can’t believe that is a drawing! The students are very talented.” Everyone was thrilled to hear that all the portraits would be on display at the Mayor of St Albans Gala Community Reception, described as ‘the grand finale of a brilliant and fulfilling year of community driven Intergenerational Activities under the theme of All Ages Together’.
A collection of portraits was also included in a published booklet and The Orchard proudly received their own copy. The team responded with a huge ‘thank you’ to Maggie Dodd for making the collaboration possible, to the Mayor and Mayoress for their support of the home and the project, and of course, to the talented students from Samual Ryder School for their fantastic work drawing and painting the residents.
The Orchard Home Manager, Edwin, said, “It’s been a wonderful project to be involved with and residents loved taking part. At The Orchard, we are all about the community and mixing different generations – it’s important to break these barriers down.”
Discover The Orchard Nursing Home in St Albans
The Orchard Nursing Home, a modern and comfortable care home based in St Albans is beautifully furnished and offers residential, nursing and dementia care. Our location makes us convenient for family and friends who are visiting the home, and we’re perfectly located for a host of different outings across Hertfordshire.
For more information about The Orchard Nursing Home, please visit our dedicated page for more information. You can also find information on our other care homes by exploring our site. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out more.
