Old and young came together for a Sports Day with a difference on Saturday 29th June for Norwich School and Friend in Deed’s second Intergenerational Sports Day.
The day saw attendees aged from 0 to 90 years old form teams and take part in an egg and spoon race, a skittles competition, relay races and a bean bag toss. The aim of the event was to bring members of our society of all ages together and show the value of connecting the older generations with their community.
The school has a long relationship with Friend in Deed, a Norwich charity run by Kelly Lindsay, and is proud to support the work the organisation does to help foster friendship and kindness across the generations. Friend in Deed run a “Little Visitors” scheme which encourages young families to visit their local care homes to provide enrichment for residents and to help them feel valued.
We were delighted to welcome many babies, children and their families to the sports day, along with several care home residents and grandparents, some living with dementia. Great fun was had by all whilst taking part in specially adapted activities. Norwich School Daynes Sports Centre was the venue for the day, with Norwich School pupils volunteering as activity leaders and scorers, and also taking the time to chat to visitors.
Kelly Lindsay, Friend in Deed Director says: "We must do more to include older people into our communities and give them purpose. If we don’t, our older generation will age faster and develop health issues which are exasperated by loneliness and sadness. Bringing children and older people together is magical, it creates the most wonderful sense of community and kindness. Special connections and friendships can be formed across generations and sport is a fantastic medium to bring people together"
Norwich School is committed to helping the older generations in our community, and has been working on a number of projects with Friend in Deed, such as musical performances from pupils, a yearly Dementia Awareness and Training Day and this, our second Intergenerational Sports Day.
Norwich School Outreach Officer Suzannah Holford said: “Once again we’ve had the pleasure of working with Kelly and Friend In Deed to help integrate the older generations back into society. Loneliness is a real issue for older people in Norfolk, and activities like this help to remind us all to value and celebrate people of all ages.”
Plans are already well underway for next year’s event. Even more imminently, Norwich School will be hosting an Norfolk Day Intergenerational Picnic and Party on Saturday 27th July which is open for all ages to attend, share a picnic and have fun in the grounds of Norwich Cathedral.
More information about Friend In Deed can be found here: https://www.friendindeed.org.uk/
