Feast of Fun Across the Generations

Background

Loneliness and isolation is a huge problem experience by older people in the UK, with 36% of over 65-year olds

living alone and 13% of over 75-year olds saying that they are often or always lonely.1

Research suggests that volunteering is beneficial in reducing loneliness in later life.2 It gives individuals the

opportunity to be a part of a team and to help others, boosting self-esteem and reducing isolation and there-

fore loneliness. It has also been suggested that inter-generational groups may be even more effective than

homogenous groups of older people in reducing isolation and loneliness.3

Since 2014 there have been summer holiday clubs run in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland, to provide

children and families with fun activities, trips and meals during the school holidays. The Feast of Fun initiative,

developed by Together Middlesbrough and Cleveland4, has been very successful and requires a small army of

volunteers each year to help to run the holiday clubs. This provided an opportunity for the Faithfully Ageing

Better project to work with the Feast of Fun initiative and recruit some older volunteers to create a ‘Feast of

Fun across the Generations’ and see what outcomes there were for all involved. This year Feast of Fun includ-

ed family trips to the North York Moors National Park Centre at Danby. Alongside some of these family trips, a

minibus of older people went to the Moors Centre on a inter-generational day out.

Findings

Feedback was sought from the older volunteers as well as chil-

dren attending the Feast of Fun holiday clubs and their par-

ents. The views of volunteers, parents and children were

gained through a series of informal interviews and focus

groups. We spoke to a total of twenty older volunteers to find

out about their experience of taking part in the Feast of Fun

holiday clubs.

Children

Many of the children were not aware of some volunteers being

older than others, especially in one holiday club where there

was a large Asian population and more children lived in an in-

ter-generational family set-up. These children were very famil-

iar with being helped by older people. Where children were able to identify some volunteers as being older,

they often linked age with experience and knowledge with one child saying, ‘if they are older they know more’.

Another child reported that a younger volunteer had not known how to sew, but the older volunteer had been

able to help them with their sewing activity . Older volunteers were also described as being more patient.

Volunteers

Older people had various motivations for volunteering with the holiday clubs. Some liked being with children

but either did not have any grandchildren, did not see grandchildren often, or simply wanted to make children

laugh. Some thought the holiday clubs were a really good concept and wanted to be involved. One volunteer

was motivated by her own experience as a single parent. She had taken her children to holiday clubs run by the

council that are no longer provided and wanted to help with something that would help parents that are in the

same position she had been in. One volunteer said they would be depressed doing nothing while another re-

ported that ‘I was lonely and needed something to do’. It was pointed out by one older person that having

different roles for volunteers was helpful, they wanted to help but cannot get up and down easily so were glad

to have the option of helping prepare food. One of the volunteers was excited by the idea of getting genera-

tions mixing saying, ‘that’s what I love about church’.

The older volunteers described many ways in which they had benefited from taking part in the Feast of Fun hol-

Parents

Parents were very positive about having older people volunteering to help with the holiday clubs, suggesting

that it is good for social integration. One parent described how her child did not have any grandparents and

saw having older volunteers as fulfilling some of that role. One parent remarked, ‘it’s been lovely, they’ve all

been wanting to interact with the kids’. Parents also described how the older volunteers were particularly good

at one-to-one interactions with the children. One parent told how her son didn’t have very much confidence

and struggles to connect with people but really warmed to one of the older volunteers and was helped to sew a

beanbag ladybird. Another parent had reported how they had ‘never known [their child] to achieve anything

like he has today. Coming to holiday club has really brought him out of himself’. Like the children, parents de-

scribed older volunteers as being more patient and having more experience and skills than younger volunteers.

One parent remarked ‘I don’t think age matters!’

Nick is recently bereaved and at the start of the summer described himself as lonely. Before volun-teering with Feast of Fun he rarely left the house and had lost a lot of confidence having had to give up work in order to care for his wife before she died: ‘In January I barely left the house – if you don’t go out you don’t have to come back to an empty house. ‘ Nick involved himself in every aspect of the holiday

club and thoroughly enjoyed himself: ‘I’d much ra-

ther be here [the holiday club] than not’. Being so

involved in the holiday clubs helped to distract him

from his grief: ‘My wife died last year – being with

other people, especially the kids, just takes your

mind off everything. I’m getting more out of it than

the kids I think.’ He was able to use the skills he had

to help the children and this boosted his confidence

and self-esteem, to the point of being confident

enough to lead a session in one holiday club. Being

involved with Feast of Fun has led to Nick volunteer-

ing with various groups and he is now looking for

work as well.

Case Study: Nick

iday clubs. Several described gaining a sense of belonging with one volunteer saying that they felt ‘part of the

family’. They reported that it was an opportunity to use their skills and ‘keep busy being useful’, giving a boost to

self-esteem. One volunteer without grandchildren said that helping with the holiday clubs gave her an ‘awareness

of a new generation’ and helped her keep up with the changes happening in the world. A volunteer with a back-

ground in youth work had been interested to see how approaches to working with young people had changed.

Many older volunteers enjoyed seeing the children and how much they enjoyed the activities with one volunteer

saying that ‘it makes me feel young’. Several of the older people said that they wanted to do more volunteering

after the holiday clubs ended, seeing that the clubs benefited not only them but the community around them.

One volunteer described the kind of work Feast of Fun was doing as ‘like a stone in the water that makes ripples’.

Another said that it helps other generations understand older people better; ‘they know we don’t just sit in an

armchair by the fire’.

Whilst seeing numerous benefits to volunteering, some of the older people did experience some challenges when

helping at the holiday clubs. Early mornings and transport were cited as obstacles to volunteering, and some vol-

unteers found it hard to keep up physically with the children, however this did not prevent them from enjoying

helping at the holiday clubs. One volunteer pointed out that their shyness in regards to helping with children was

something they had needed to overcome in order to participate in the project.

Danby Trips

The older participants in the trips to the Moors National Park Centre at Danby were asked about loneliness, their

normal daily activities, as well as their experience of the trip. Participants were reluctant to identify themselves as

lonely, but do experience times of loneliness.

Case Study: Dorothy

Dorothy having had a busy family and work life, now retired and

family flown, finds herself living alone. In the past she was a

nursery nurse and worked in the management side of youth and

community work. Retirement felt like a real loss for her, both

professionally and socially, however it has given her the time to

be able to volunteer.

She enjoys working with all age groups so long as it is helpful for

the happiness and personal development of individuals and com-

munity. ‘Grass roots work is far more enjoyable than managerial

work since social interaction is mutually beneficial. We as human

beings are social creatures after all.’ Although busy during term

time, she experienced seasonal loneliness due to activities stop-

ping during the summer holidays. She said she gets depressed

when she is not doing anything.

Dorothy really enjoyed helping at the holiday clubs. It gave her a

creative outlet and she was particularly inspired by one child who

seemed to form a natural bond with her. She said that the expe-

rience made her feel young again and ‘it made this summer a

happy one’.

Participants identified different types of lone-

liness, with the loneliness created by bereave-

ment specifically being pointed out as differ-

ent to general loneliness.

When asked about their normal daily activi-

ties participants described lots of individual

activities, often sedentary in nature. These

characteristics are risk factors for isolation

and depression.

All participants liked the concept of multi-

generational trips and had enjoyed the day.

They had enjoyed the company of both peers

and families in an outdoor location, although some raised concerns about the location not fitting their mobili-

ty capabilities. It was noted that the fact that the activity had been organised for a group, with transport pro-

vided, made it possible for individuals to go. For some participants, it was unlikely that they would have ar-

ranged a day out for themselves without the support of peers and Feast of Fun.

Conclusion

Feast of Fun across the Generations has been a really popular project. It is clear that the summer holidays is a

time when people experience ‘seasonal loneliness’. This can be due to normal activities stopping and also the

feeling of ‘being left behind’ whilst other people go on holidays and days out. Mixing the generations has a posi-

tive impact on the loneliness experienced by older people. This effect is increased when the older people are

volunteering with children’s activities, and able to use the skills and experience they have to help a younger gen-

eration. It is evident that volunteering with inter-generational projects can give older volunteers a sense of pur-

pose and a feeling that they are making a positive contribution to their community. Whilst children are fairly

unaware of the age difference of volunteers, they appreciate the skills, experience and patience older people

have, and enjoy having them participate in holiday clubs. Creating inter-generational activities can provide an

experience of the different generations of family life and can give people a strong sense of belonging. When de-

signing inter-generational activities, it is important to listen to older people to discover their strengths and skills,

and also understand any limitations, for example mobility. This will allow older people to participate more fully

and all generations to gain as much as possible from the experience.

References

1. Later Life UK Factsheet, Age UK, 2016 2. Promising Approaches to reducing Loneliness and Isolation in Later Life, Age UK, p46 3. Loneliness and Isolation Evidence Review, Age UK 4. www.cuf.org.uk/children-and-families-tmc

Katharine Wells September 2017

Case Study: Elizabeth

Elizabeth lives alone in sheltered accommodation; she never goes out, except to see her father, who will not

leave his house. Encouraged by other participants, Elizabeth came on one of the trips to Danby, and had a

wonderful time – she asked to be kept informed of similar outings in the future and is keen to do more.