“When I heard there were children visiting I came down from my room straightaway,” says Rosemary, 98, and a family member at Framland. “June, one of the Hummingbirds, had popped in to see me for a chat and I said, ‘I’m sorry, June, but we’ll have to talk another time. I’m not going to miss this!’”

Today’s visit is part of a partnership between our care home and The Ark Preshool in Wantage. The link came about as Nicole, our The Way We Care Lead at Framland, is the daughter-in-law of Teresa who runs the preschool. “We were looking to build links in the local community and this seemed like a natural fit,” says Teresa. “Some of our children don’t mix much with older people and so it’s lovely for them to have that experience.”

As I’m about to witness, something very special happens when the very old and the very young connect. We begin indoors with a planting activity. The eight small visitors gather around a table with our family members, taking it in turn to shovel compost into plastic pots and add seeds – sunflowers in unusual colour varieties – then water.

A little shy at first, the children soon start to feel at home. Lottie is excited to tell Margaret, 97, about her fourth birthday next week. Seeds planted, one little boy, Jacob, climbs into the lap of Barbara, 74, and nestles comfortable against her woollen cardigan.

After a drink and a biscuit, it’s time to head into the garden. The children are clearly having a whale of a time – chasing a beachball, bouncing giant shuttlecocks off giant badminton racquets or simply running around and enjoying the space. Sitting to the side, blankets over knees, are our family members, taking in the action and offering gentle encouragement.

One boy is absorbed by an inflatable fairground-style game, trying to get a plastic ball to land in a hole. Supporting from the sidelines is Barbara. His first attempt goes awry so he gives it another shot and the ball rolls into place.

Proudly, he looks to Barbara who claps (do watch the clip of this special moment on our TikTok channel).

The benefits of generations interacting are well documented. For example, the Channel 4 series ‘Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds’, brought together ten older adults and ten four-year-olds. A team of geriatric specialists monitored the group and noted improvements in mood, movement and mobility of the older people.

From a Christian perspective, it makes sense. The Bible tells us we are made for relationship and that ‘children are a gift from the Lord’ (Psalm 127:3). Little wonder then that they can be such a blessing to our family members, many of whom will have spent a lifetime around children. Some will have raised their own families. Others will have pursued careers centring around children such as teaching or spent a lifetime helping out at Sunday School or church toddler groups.

And of course there will be still others who have done none of the above and yet find being with children lifts the spirits and stirs the soul. As Rosemary puts it, having children come to visit “livens the whole place up!”.

In turn, our family members are a gift and a blessing to the children. Psalm 92 tells us that the righteous will ‘still bear fruit in old age’ (v.14). By taking part in a game or activity or celebrating a child’s success, the older Christians who live with us are living out their God-given calling.

As I chat to Teresa, it’s clear that the impact goes deep. I’m surprised to learn that Lottie, who was chatting away so happily to Margaret earlier, is naturally very shy. “Coming here is brilliant for the children,” says Teresa, “It does so much in terms of building their confidence.”

Teresa points towards a corner of the garden where another little girl, Willow, and Rosemary are playing with a giant shuttlecock and racquet. Willow, Teresa explains, is also very shy so to see her flourishing in Rosemary’s company is wonderful. “The parents sometimes can’t believe it when I tell them what their child has done.”

Several of the children who are visiting today will be moving up to school in September and so experiences like this all help towards making that transition where they will have to get used to being in a new environment with lots of unfamiliar people.

Another plus for the visitors is the walk to and from the care home. “There’s a little brook that we go past which the children enjoy looking at, and there are roads to cross which helps to build their road sense,” says Teresa. Not only are they getting to know their local area they are also gaining important life skills.

Having enjoyed the garden games, the children start to explore further. A stone path runs round the perimeter of the care home garden, bordered by flowers. The children race along and some return a moments later with little bouquets that are presented to our family members.

Then it’s time to leave. The children slip on their hi vis jackets and get into their partners. Everyone waves a fond goodbye.

Over a cup of tea, I spend some time reflecting on the visit with Rita, 93. She tells me she hadn’t been out into the garden yet this year, it had been too chilly, but the visit by the children had coaxed her outside. She rummages in her bag and pulls out a small yellow flower, a primrose, presented to her by one of the visitors. “We used to love picking primroses as children,” she recalls. “My dad was building a bungalow in the Essex countryside and us children used to go off and explore. There were lots of primroses, and bluebells too.”