YOUNGSTERS from Northgate Primary School in Bridgwater worked hard to support elderly neighbours at Avalon Nursing Home to create paper lanterns and snakes for Chinese New Year.
The children are regular guests at the home, with groups of six taking it in turn so everyone can visit during the academic year.
Lisa Priddice, activities organiser at Avalon, said: “Both age groups enjoy spending time together and it’s so lovely to see them chatting and hearing them make each other laugh.
“The children having been coming to Avalon for just over a year now and they’re really making an impact on the residents living here.
“Seeing the two generations come together is wonderful.
“Since we’re just entering the Chinese Year of the Snake, there was quite a lot of discussion between them about who does and doesn’t like snakes, but old and young were mostly in agreement about how much they like Chinese food – some of which featured on the lunch menu.”
Because the symbols for each Chinese New Year follow a 12 yearly cycle, all the children were born later than 2013 – the last Year of the Snake – and Avalon staff discovered that none of their residents were born in years represented by the Snake either.
Lisa added: “Everyone had fun debating whether any of them embody the personality traits which Chinese tradition says the snake represents: intelligent, resourceful, and charming, but also very secretive and cautious.
“It was quite an entertaining conversation.”