Pupils work to tackle loneliness in Selsey

Pupils from Selsey have taken a trip back in time to help tackle the problem of loneliness in older people.
Seal Primary Academy pupils with the learning team in the Tim Peake Gallery at The Novium MuseumSeal Primary Academy pupils with the learning team in the Tim Peake Gallery at The Novium Museum
Seal Primary Academy pupils with the learning team in the Tim Peake Gallery at The Novium Museum

Year-five pupils from Seal Primary Academy took a group of residents from the area to visit The Novium Museum in Chichester.

The school has been working with Chichester District Council’s youth engagement team as part of the Ideas in Action project. Children formed their own political parties to help tackle issues that were important to them.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The visit gave members of the Community Party the opportunity to delve into the district’s rich history and make new friends.

The children teamed up with various lunch clubs around Selsey and spent several months planning an interactive tour of the museum, with the help of the learning team.

During the trip, people aged from nine to 91 sat down together for lunch in the museum café to allow time to chat and get to know each other.

They then explored the museum together, with pupils sharing interesting facts they had learned about their favourite exhibits and passing around artefacts for everyone to look at.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Eileen Lintill, cabinet member for community services, said: “It’s wonderful to see young people identifying and wanting to address such a growing problem within our society.

“The Novium Museum is the perfect location to visit because it has something to engage and interest people of all ages.

“Hopefully this will encourage others to think about any older friends, family or even neighbours that they could reach out to.”

The Novium Museum also offers dementia friendly workshops throughout the year or can organise sessions for care homes and community groups. Visit www.thenovium.org for more information.