Spelga Mews & Little Friends coffee morning

A coffee morning has been held to celebrate the positive impact of an intergenerational initiative involving Little Friends and Spelga Mews.

In this academic year, the children from Little Friends have been working alongside residents in Spelga Mews, as part of a pilot programme called Creating Intergenerational Communities.

The programme, facilitated by Linking Generations Northern Ireland, has involved regular contact every month, and Little Friends and Spelga Mews - who have had close links for over a decade - were asked to be project leads.

A spokesperson for Spelga Mews explained: 

“We had to be more aware of the quality of the interactions and hope through reflective practice we could improve on this. Intergenerational practice aims to bring people together in purposeful, mutually beneficial activities which promote greater understanding and respect between different generations and contribute to building more cohesive communities.

IP is inclusive, building on the positive resources that the younger and older generations have to offer each other and those around them. When we were asked to be project leads, we never thought we would be finishing it off having gained such a significant insight into the importance of these works and the lasting impact it can have on residents, children and ourselves.

When we think of intergenerational work, the importance of relationships is central to everything and, so, we kick-started the academic year with a coffee morning ‘meet and greet’ held in Little Friends followed by a ‘Walk with Grandfriends’ at Spelga Mews to help establish those relationships.

The impact the little ones had on the residents – chatting freely, playing games in the garden after, families connecting, relationships being formed and, most importantly, the smiles on everyone’s faces - was such a positive and uplifting experience!

Interactions like this with the children are so vitally important to the residents’ wellbeing because, as you get older, you can start to feel isolated, lonely and not sure what your purpose is.

People who have a diagnosis of dementia may not remember your visit, they may not remember the chat and fun, but they will always remember the feeling provided by the interaction and that stays with them all day. The little ones always bring feelings of happiness, contentment and self-worth to the residents through their visits.”

When the pilot programme came to an end last month, Little Friends and Spelga Mews wanted to do something to acknowledge the work done by everyone and celebrate with the local community.

A coffee morning was organised in the Downshire Arms Hotel last Thursday for all to attend and see for themselves the positive impact that bringing generations together can have on everyone involved.

“It was a resounding success to be able to have everyone together in one room to enjoy each other’s company, chat with friends old and new and most importantly, keep those connections going."