Students from our Early Years and Children in Education courses have serenaded residents at Alston Care Home with a special Christmas setlist.

In addition to performing Christmas classics such as ‘Last Christmas’, ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ and ‘Feliz Navidad’, the students also presented residents with handmade Christmas cards and shared warm conversation over refreshments. Though not trained vocalists, they all share a passion for singing and had been practicing routinely in preparation for the visit.

Lidia Nikolova Gjorgjieva, Wellbeing and Lifestyle Coach at Alston House, commented: “We are delighted to start this collaboration with Eastleigh College in the most amazing way, by bringing the Christmas Joy to Alston House. The residents and staff members enjoyed listening to the students singing and joined in as well. They also loved the handmade Christmas cards they received in this intergenerational day enjoyed by all. We really hope that this will turn into a long-term collaboration beneficial for our residents as well as for the students.”

Resident Alison said: “I loved singing the songs with the students. They were really good. It took me back to the time when I used to be part of a choir and used to go the hospital wards to sing to the people staying there to cheer them up. Lovely young children we had today.”

Vicki Shrives, Lecturer in Early Years at Eastleigh College, commented: “This was a really enjoyable and confidence-building activity for our students who love to sing. It was lovely to see everyone getting into the festive spirit across a wide generational gap. On a practical note, this type of activity is one that our students could be involved with in the future, teaching pre-schoolers, and so this has been a useful experience for them.”

Brooke is one of the students who participated in the Christmas Choir. She said: “It was such fun helping to make people’s days a bit brighter. We’ve been planning and practicing this for the past couple of months and it feels good to give back to the community.”

Alston House is a new luxury care home situated in the Eastleigh area, which is the product of a major renovation of a 1920s police building. Landscaped gardens, a specialist bistro and a Beauty salon adds to its charm and this new community is now enjoying its inaugural Christmas period.

For any further queries, please contact the College at BeBetter@eastleigh.ac.uk.