News / channel 4
Four-year-olds return to Bristol old people’s home
Children from Bristol nurseries have returned to the St Monica Trust’s Cote Lane retirement community to reunite with the residents.
Four episodes of Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds at Christmas will be broadcast on Channel 4 from Monday, following the success of the original series which aired in August and averaged an audience of 2.8m viewers.
Hamish, Zina, Pat and David get together again with some of their young friends including Solomon, Nelson, Millie and Eva from The Southville Centre nursery to find out how taking part in the series has impacted their lives.
is needed now More than ever
Hamish has fun with his new young friends
Social isolation is one of the biggest problems for the elderly and never more so than during the Christmas period. Loneliness can impact hugely on our health with a recent report saying it can be as damaging to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
The Bristol project was inspired by a revolutionary American scheme which brought together a group of older people and a group of four-year-olds for a six-week period to attempt to prove scientifically that these two generations can transform the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of the old volunteers for the better.
In the festive special the older adults and children prepare for a festive carol service to which their families will be the guests of honour.
St Monica Trust chief executive David Williams said: “The Trust has worked in partnership with Age UK on a number of community initiatives in Bristol and we’re excited to be helping them spearhead this national campaign to highlight social isolation among the older population.”
Age UK director Caroline Abrahams added: “At Age UK we’re thrilled that this much-loved show will be highlighting the loneliness and isolation that suck the joy from life for so many older people, and the simple things we can all do, at every age, to help them, both at Christmas time and throughout the year.”
The first episode of Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds: Christmas is on Channel 4 on Monday, December 18 at 9pm. For more information, visit www.channel4.com/programmes/old-peoples-home-for-4-year-olds-christmas
Left to right top: Mary, David, Sheila, Pat, Michael, Hamish, Zina, Linda and Monica. Bottom row: Millie, Eva, Soloman, Dot, Noah, Ellie S, Ellie O, Elise, Amiya and Nelson.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
