Old and young share stories at history club

Pupils at Oaklands Catholic School in Waterlooville invited older residents for a fun afternoon that was all about integration.

The event was planned by pupils who are part of the school’s history club, which won £400 from Portsmouth Diocese group Caritas last year.

Victoria Masson, a history teacher at Oaklands, said: ‘We wanted to do something that would bring the old and the young together to create a real community feel.

‘Unless they’re related, it’s not often people from both generations get to mix, and it’s been lovely to watch the elderly talk about the memorabilia, medals, and pictures they brought along.

‘The kids were fascinated by the stories they heard and for those older people who find themselves feeling lonely in their old age, coming to this party was a brilliant way of allowing them to share their thoughts.’

The history club, which is made up of pupils from Year 7 to 11, organises projects throughout the year. It planned this event during lunchtimes along with 10 Year 4 pupils from St Peter’s Catholic Primary School in Waterlooville, who also attended.

Peter Craig, 72, is the grandfather of one of the school’s pupils. He said: ‘It was a superb idea to integrate children with those who are older in the community.

‘I had to fill out a sheet with questions on it like “what is the most important event you can remember from your teens?”.

‘Our answers were presented as talking points with the children and it was fun for us to recall our memories.

‘My answer was the first time I’d watched television, and the pupils couldn’t believe it because it’s such a big part of their everyday lives.’

Grace, a six-year-old pupil from St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, said she wanted to find out what games the elderly people played when they were younger.

‘I think it’s nice we can speak to the older people,’ she said.

‘My favourite game is Twister, so I would like to know what some of their favourite games were, or are now.’