Students and Winwood residents Christmas get-together

Residents at Nottingham’s Winwood Heights retirement village enjoyed festive music and snacks yesterday, courtesy of students from local high school the Arnold Hill Spencer Academy.

GCSE Food students prepared mince pies and festive snacks for residents, which were then served by BTEC Health and Social Care students, who also took time to chat to residents. Music was provided by the school choir. The young people taking part were aged between 14 and 18, while the residents are aged 55 and over.

Winwood Heights resident, Sandy Mohamed said: “It’s lovely that these young people care enough to want to come out and do this for us.

“Christmas can be a lonely time when you’re older. To share a morning like this, really put a smile on our faces.”

Samantha Jones, who teaches Health and Social Care at the Arnold Hill Spencer Academy, said, “This is really exciting for our students to put their skills into practice and a great opportunity for us to be part of a really nice Christmas event for people in our community.”

Cllr Jay Hayes, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Nottingham City Council said, “This is the sort of activity that we really like to see taking place at this time of year. It helps forge links between people in our communities, and both residents and students get something out of it.”

Student Isobelle commented, “It’s great to be able to come and spread some festive cheer to the residents,” and fellow student Edie added, “Not only are we putting into practice what we’ve been learning as part of our course, we get to spend time and learn from residents who may not otherwise see too many people over Christmas”.