Gee Cross school pupils make an emotional 'Impact'

Holy Trinity Primary School pupils in Gee Cross are celebrating after receiving a very special award for the support and love they have provided for a local care home and its residents during the pandemic.

The class has received an ‘Impact’ award from educational resource Picture News - a current affairs teaching resource for schools. 

Sue Edwards, from Picture News said: “The school’s entry for the Impact award cheered us all up no end learning that small children can make such a big difference at this tricky time.”

Teacher at Gee Cross Katrina Cole explained that the school uses Picture News as an important educational resource which provides highly informative news and pictures for young children and assists in teaching.

Any school could submit an entry, but Mrs Cole said her class were especially inspired.

“The children were thrilled to win and so excited and now not only are they motivated - so is the rest of the school,” she said.

“The children have learned in a pandemic to reach out and help others and inspire other children in the school to reach out and help others as well.”

Mrs Cole’s class became inspired to help residents at a local care home after reading a news story about whether visits to care homes should be allowed during the coronavirus pandemic.

The six-year-olds were saddened to learn that care home residents were not allowed to have visits from their loved ones, with the images of  cuddle curtains and screens really touching the Year 2 pupils and from this their compassion grew and they immediately asked if there were any care homes nearby that they could help. 

As a result the class made contact with Polebank Care Home in Hyde where manager Sarah Benson told the pupils that the residents were very lonely.

Immediately, the youngsters set about writing emotive letters to tell the residents that they were all thinking of them. They also made ‘pocket hugs’, decorating wooden hearts with special messages of hope with brightly coloured rainbows to include with their letters. 

The packages were placed safely in decorated envelopes and put in quarantine for 72 hours.

One week later, and after a thorough risk assessment the Year 2 pupils walked to the local care home to take their parcel.

Mrs Cole said: “The outcome was tremendous. Nobody had prepared themselves for just how emotional the visit would be…

“Each of the residents came to the window in turn and waved to the children and the children called to each of them and made hearts with their hands. 

“They were amazed to learn that one of the residents Olga was 101-years-old and ‘waved like the Queen’. 

“The school staff had tears streaming down their faces; tears of happiness at the difference that had been made by this visit.” 

Care home manager Sarah said the visit had made a huge difference to residents and Mrs Cole added: “We have all learned something important from this community project, at a time of national crisis, there has never been a more important time to reach out and touch the lives of people that need our help.”