YOUNG and old have come together as a care home welcomes nursery children in weekly art sessions.

Residents at the Hambleton Grange Care Home on Station Road in Thirsk have hosted weekly art sessions with preschool children from the nearby First Step nursery, since mid-November.

Children, as young as three, have kept elderly residents entertained in painting and decorating sessions to produce various types of art and understand what its like to be elderly.

Nicola Clark lifestyle manager at Hambleton Grange, who organised the partnership, said: "The children come here every Wednesday and they come to the home for an hour.

"We do lots of things. I bring the children to an art class where they can interact with the residents."

Miss Clark, who has been at the care home for five years, said children at the nursery used to bake cookies for the residents, so she developed the idea to benefit everyone.

She said: "It just makes everybody’s day. The kids love it and the residents get a lot out of it too, the residents don’t get to see children very much which I think is important they do.

"It brings back quite a lot of childhood memories, especially for those with dementia.

"A couple of residents who have been teachers, when the children visit, they can remember their previous role – It’s really good.

"We have also done cake decorating where the residents have got involved, some have read books to the children.

"One resident became like a grandad, the way he read the book, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room."