Horndean care home enlists creative community to produce artwork aiming to 'hug' the whole building

Care UK’s Pear Tree Court, on Portsmouth Road, is participating in Hug a Care Home, which involves making a chain of hand drawings that will be displayed around the outside of the home.

Created by Creative Minds which specialises in making art accessible to everyone, the initiative is designed to help spread positivity to care homes, and give the residents a way of connecting to the community during the pandemic.

Pamela Sykes, a resident at Pear Tree Court, said: ‘The hands that the children at Horndean Infant School and The Portsmouth Grammar Junior School beautifully coloured for us are fabulous, they certainly make us feel ‘hugged’ and loved, and all at Pear Tree Court thank them very much.’

The project is nearly complete, but a few more hands are needed to reach around the building.

David Taylor, home manager, said: ‘We have all loved receiving the hand drawings, it’s really brought the community together, and gives the residents a way of connecting with people safely.

‘If you would like to get involved, draw around your hand, colour in one side and write a message to a loved one on the other. Then send it to the team at Pear Tree Court care home and the team will join them together to create a giant ‘hug’ around the care home.

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‘It’s great to see everyone, from residents’ families, to local nurseries and schools, sending their artwork to us. In particular I’d like to thank Horndean Infant School, whose pupils sent the home over 180 hands and Portsmouth Grammar Junior School who sent us over 40 hands for our project.

‘We’d like to thank everyone who has already sent in a drawing, and we’re all looking forward to seeing the completed project.’

All post received at Pear Tree Court, including the hands, artwork and letters from the community, are disinfected using the home’s new fogging machine before being shared with residents.

To get involved with Pear Tree Court’s Hug a Care Home project, call customer relations manager Emily Forbes on (023) 9298 6773, or email [email protected]

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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