KIND-hearted students visited residents of a care home to enjoy a day of activities.

Pupils from The Westleigh School went to Hourigan House on Myrtle Avenue and played board games, read stories and sung together.

The visit formed part of a programme set up by teaching assistant Mrs Mcarthur-Brown.

She said: “Meeting new people helps improve our students’ confidence and it’s lovely to see how well the different age groups get along.

Both generations have a lot to gain from spending time with one another.”

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Students learnt about the residents' lives, including the types of jobs they used to do and what it was like to live in Leigh in the past.

They also shared their own experiences about growing up in today’s society.

Some of the residents are living with age-related conditions such as dementia.

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Mrs McArthur Brown said: “Students are naturally curious about dementia and the visits have improved their understanding of the condition.

"It’s great how they see beyond the symptoms to the person within.”

Hourigan House activities co-ordinator at the home Michelle Love believes the visits are beneficial to the residents too.

She said: “We offer a lot of activities for residents to get involved in but some don’t always engage.

"Having the children here has really helped those residents join in.”

The Westleigh School head teacher, Mr Bramwell, added: “Divisions between the generations have perhaps never been deeper than they are in today’s society.

"Visits like this break down barriers and show the world how caring and compassionate young people really are.”