We’ve had a great response to the last blog linking positive mental health and heritage, thanks for all the comments. For anyone who missed it you can catch up online now.

As promised, this month I’m exploring two great projects where people with dementia are enjoying finding out about local places and histories together with younger people - and getting to know each other better in the process.

When I spoke to participants and project managers from Hampshire and Scotland, they shared the surprises and also the challenges of working together. They talked honestly about the confidence gained through working together across differences in age and health and the benefits of gaining greater knowledge and understanding of social history and local sites.

Building trust and honest communication

Age Fusion is a Hampshire-based project, run by Age Concern Hampshire. Age Fusion created opportunities for young people at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Prince’s Trust Programme and youth organisation Step by Step to meet with older adults to explore attitudes to ageing, history and identities. I spoke with Project Manager Emma Golby-Kirk, about some of the shared learning from this project and her advice for people planning similar intergenerational projects.

Emma’s top tip is to allow time to establish trust and build relationships. For all the organisations involved, understandably, keeping everyone safe through clear and shared principles are vital, as is the recognition of the potential vulnerability of all involved in intergenerational projects. Managing risk in creative ways, building trust and honest communication takes time. The benefits of building these relationships over a year has led to very high levels of engagement for everyone involved, including staff at the care homes and those running the young people’s services.

Many of the young people have gained confidence, whilst changing previously fearful attitudes on ageing. Charlie, one of the young Southampton participants spoke about these shifts in attitudes:

“We found it hard on the first day but now we know how to speak to older people… we were shy at the beginning of today, but then we just cranked up and just started talking to them.”

[quote=Charlie, participant in Southampton]“We found it hard on the first day but now we know how to speak to older people… we were shy at the beginning of today, but then we just cranked up and just started talking to them.”[/quote]

Emma spoke of ‘watching the young people’s confidence grow’ as they visited day centres over the one-year project. She explained that staff at participating Age Concern Hampshire centres became more open and gained skills in supporting the younger people in the shared activities. The project helped to challenge stigma and stereotypes on ageing as people were spending time together exploring social history through photographs, professionally designed puppets and taking time to get to know each other.

The puppets used in this project were created by professional Historic Costumier Helen McArdle. She based the puppets on the descriptions that older people involved with the project gave about their own grandparents.

Age Concern Hampshire will now be sharing the Age Fusion project with others through a book and exhibition tour, using the puppets and activity ideas to connect young and old.

Community heritage to be proud of

Betty Weir is one of many volunteers that make Broomlands and Bourtreehill Age Concern café in Irvine, North Ayrshire a welcoming hub for activities throughout the week. I talked recently with Betty at the volunteer-run café to find out more about how the community works together across ages and backgrounds.

Betty spoke about how the café hosts different activities, including the creation of the recently completed ‘Book of Precious Memories’, which was funded as part of an HLF-supported Sharing Heritage project. Bringing local people together to share newspaper cuttings, photos and memories of the area resulted in a beautiful book of social history. Older members of the community, including some people using dementia services, have shared these stories and photographs with students from a local school. Using this book to develop relationships across generations also means that some of the students with learning disabilities and local teachers are becoming more involved in the Age Concern café.

Betty shared the enjoyment of being together at the café, with some of the students also learning more about knitting and crochet skills through the expertise of older café members.

I asked Betty if there had been any surprises along the way and I heard how the school is now leading some fundraising activities for Age Concern with an upcoming concert planned – another great outcome! After speaking with Betty and hearing great chat and laughter when the cooking was underway this is definitely on my ‘essential cafés to visit’ list!

Later this year, HLF will be sharing further news in a web feature on how heritage connects communities using mental health and dementia services across the UK. We’ll look at ambitious, creative ways of working together, including exploring the outdoors in all weathers and the role of museums and archives.