Westhoughton High School pupils set up pen pal scheme with clients of older people's service Senior Solutions

Students from Westhoughton High School, have sent out their first letters to clients of Senior Solutions, a group which supports older people in the community.

They have been sending Christmas cards to the pensioners for the last two years and it is hoped this new initiative will forge an even stronger bond between the students and the senior citizens.

Mark Webster, leader of learning for religion, society and values at Westhoughton High, said students were enjoying the chance to befriend people from a different generation.

He said: “This gives students the opportunity to talk to a particular person and get to know a little bit about them and consider them a part of their form group.

“Students of all abilities and backgrounds are enjoying getting involved and being a part of it.”

In their first letters, which are written inside a card, students have introduced themselves and spoken about recent events they have been involved with, such as Children in Need and school shows.

The letters have been warmly received by the 'adopted grandparents' —and some have already written back.

Mr Webster said: "We had a lovely letter from a man whose wife has Alzheimer's, talking about his love for her and how many times he has read the card to her and the enjoyment it brings to her.

He continued: "There have been some fantastic responses. One lady wrote back on behalf of her husband. She said he has dementia so can't write back himself, but was involved in the design of the Sydney Opera House.

Another pensioner wrote on her husband's behalf to say he used to play football professionally Wanderers.

Mr Webster said: "That's the beauty of it. If we put up a picture up of one of the adopted grandparents, being able to tell the story behind that person. The wife who had Alzheimer's spent all her life helping people, has a couple of degrees and counselling certificates and had done so much for her community. Her husband described her as 'a beautiful woman both inside and out'."

The links between the school and Senior Solutions clients will not be restricted to the pen pal scheme.

Some students have already visited the group's social club to learn how to play dominoes, and they will be returning to share some interests of their own.

They will also visit their older new friends over the Christmas period.

Mr Webster added: Hopefully it's going to be something long-lasting, not a project as such, but something that will continue.

"The benefit for the students is that it gets them to look outward, not that they're selfish, and giving them the opportunity to think about the joy of giving. Hopefully they will be inspired to become the volunteers of the future."

Student Erin Higgs said: "I have enjoyed spending time with with people from different generations. It is a joy to read their written responses and it is inspiring to find about what they have done in their lives. My form loves it!"

And Kate Parkinson added: "I have enjoyed reading the responses from our adopted grandparents as it was heartwarming to feel like we have made a difference. Our form loved the idea of making someone feel a little bit less lonely at Christmas time."

Michelle Todd, manager of Senior Solutions, said clients had been 'thrilled to bits' to receive the cards.

She said: "They’re really pleased with it, they’re over the moon, I don’t know what’s been written in the letters, they are sealed but all the children getting involved with the older generation and that’s quite positive.

"They come down to our group, the school council come down to our social group and our clients taught them how to play dominoes and next year the children are going to come down and teach them something from their generation.

"We’ve only just started it, but the feedback we’ve had so far has been very positive, because they grew up in a generation that wrote and received letters, that’s their way of communicating. It’s so nice to receive something hand-written and it’s nice to get a letter rather than a bill."