A heart-warming video has emerged of a school pupil playing a London care home resident’s favourite song despite visiting restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Jemima, a pupil of St Matthew’s CoE Primary School in Surbiton, played Ken Dodd’s 'Happiness' for RAF veteran Bernard, a resident of the local Royal Star & Garter care home.
Jemima has been coming into the home every Friday to play the piano for residents as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.
The video (below) was sent to the home’s activities manager Raquel Pena Aristizabal.
“It was a joy seeing the video, and Bernard’s reaction was so moving. Our residents cherish their visits from the younger generation. Jemima plays so beautifully and you can see how much it means to her when she sees residents enjoying her music,” said Aristizabal.
“Visits like these mean the world to our veterans, and we will be using technology to continue these interactions at this difficult time. My thanks go to Dawn, our activities coordinator, who has facilitated Jemima’s visits,” she added.
Royal Star & Garter had planned to hold a number of activities in its homes in Surbiton, Solihull and High Wycombe to mark the first National Intergenerational Week, running from 23-29 March.
The coronavirus outbreak has meant these plans have been paused.
