STUDENTS at Warrington Collegiate have been doing their part to help the town’s older generation with a festive day of fun aimed at combatting loneliness.
More than one million older people in the UK go at least one month without speaking or seeing anybody, with more than one in five expressing that they regularly feel lonely.
Staff and students at Warrington Collegiate wanted to help combat that by inviting 30 people from the Parr Hall-based Age UK group into the Winwick Road campus where they were given a taste of college life.
Jordyn Layfield, College Sport Maker, had a key part in organising Tuesday’s event.
She said: “Imagine being alone this Christmas, imagine having no family or friends to share your festive spirit with.
“As a college, we have the ability to unite and make a difference for the older people within the local community and because we can, we are.”
The day started by seeing the visitors embark on a “flight” in the College’s Aviation department before having their hair done at The Academy, the College’s beauty salon.
The highlight of the day was a tea dance in the Crescent, complete with line dancing and the cha cha.
The dance was led by Pam Rowland – who runs weekly dance classes at the Pyramid – and supported by health and social students.
After the dance, they were taken to the College’s on-site training restaurant Buckley’s for a festive feast, before finishing their magical day with a sneak peak of the performing arts student’s pantomime Hansel and Gretel, which runs at the College next week.
Tuesday’s event was made possible thanks to the College’s Active You team who have spent the last few weeks carrying out a number of fundraising events, including a Rudolph Ramble, pay to play sports and much more, to make the dream a reality.
Jordyn added: “The day was an absolute success. All of the students pulled together to make sure those from our local Age UK had the best day imaginable.”
