Etching to go! Copthorne care home residents take part in worldwide art festival

Residents and team members at Care UK’s Francis Court, on Boers Arms Road, have partnered with the pioneering charity, The Big Draw, for a third successive year to promote the therapeutic benefits of drawing for expression and promoting positive wellbeing.

As part of the event, residents and team members discussed their favourite things about nature and were encouraged to share fond memories of time spent exploring the great outdoors in their younger years. With many residents talking about their love of wildlife, the team at Francis Court set the theme of drawing ‘the most admired things in nature’. Drawings included butterflies, squirrels, and rabbits, created using a range of pencils and paints, before being placed on display around the home for everyone to enjoy.

Launched in 2000 as part of the ‘Campaign for Drawing’, the month-long Big Draw Festival promotes drawing as a tool for learning, and invention, and has encouraged over four million people to get arty since its inception. ‘Make the Change’, this year’s theme, focuses on the relationship between people and their living environments, and offers a great opportunity for older people to reminisce about their favourite nature spots, how the environment has changed, and look to the future at what action can be taken to help safeguard the natural world in light of the climate crisis.

Anna Allen, Home Manager at Francis Court, said: “Our Big Draw event was a hit and residents loved getting creative around this year’s theme, ‘Make the Change’.

“Drawing is great for everyone, especially for older people, including those living with dementia. On top of physical benefits, from increased motor skills to improved coordination, creative activities, such as drawing, can truly boost cognitive function and even reduce the rate of development for a range of memory conditions.

“It was a fantastic drawing session, and everyone left with a smile on their face – we’re all looking forward to getting our pencils out again very soon!”

Francis Court has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, and incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities. The team provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care.

For more information on Francis Court, please call Customer Relations Manager, Beverly Jordan, on 01342 886 567, or email [email protected]

To find out more about Care UK’s partnership with the Big Draw, and for more top tips on how you and your loved ones can get involved at home, visit careuk.com/care-homes/bigdraw

To find out more about the Big Draw festival, please go to thebigdraw.org