Key worker children brighten the days of older Chester residents in isolation

Key worker children attending Huntington Community Primary School have written letters to older residents in Chester, who are normally cared for by the Viva Assist team of ‘Day Brighteners’.

Local business – Viva Assist – got in touch with staff at the nearby school, with an idea to put the children in touch with their customers. Sharing their first names and a few details about their interests with the school, the children wrote personalised letters and drew pictures of things they thought their new friends would enjoy. 

Talking about the idea, Sarah Rugg, Founder of Vi-VA Assist, says: “We realised very quickly that we weren’t able to help our customers the way we normally do, as our top priority is to keep them safe. We needed to find creative ways to bring them the conversation, companionship, care and support that they rely on us for. The letter idea was a great place to start.”

Although the Day Brighteners from Vi-VA Assist are still providing their shop and drop and telephone companionship services during the current crisis, it was essential to find some new ways to bring joy to their customers. The children were pleased to get involved and make some new friends. The Viva Assist team posted the letters to their recipients in the last few weeks.

Year 3 teacher, Mrs Caldecott, Huntington Community Primary School, said: "The children really enjoyed writing their letters. It was the perfect opportunity for us to deliver a bit of joy to the more vulnerable members of our local community." 

Talking about the reaction to the letters, Sarah Rugg adds: “We have had some lovely messages from our customers, who have been delighted to receive their letters. We received a note from the son of one lady we care for. He lives out of the area and said that his mum was very touched to receive the letter – it meant a lot to her in these difficult times.”

Viva Assist provides one-to-one support for older people who may be lonely or need some assistance to maintain their independence, to continue enjoying life in their own homes.
The small, caring and flexible team can help with anything from assisting with grocery shopping and decluttering the home, to providing companionship and taking the stress out of organising, and getting to, appointments. Covering the Chester area, the team of ‘Day Brighteners’ will go that extra mile to make a real difference.

 www.vi-vaassist.co.uk

T: @ViVA_Assist