RESIDENTS at an Otterbourne care home were delighted to see their little friends and neighbours in the run up to Valentine’s Day.

Children and staff at Bright Horizons Nursery created a heart for each of the residents at Brendoncare Otterbourne Hill. The hearts were then put up on display on the outside windows and balconies of the home for the residents to enjoy and for the children to spot during their Valentine’s walk.

The children walked around and stopped off outside rooms and apartments to wave and call out residents’ names.

One resident later commented: “Seeing the children gave our spirits a much-needed lift. Lockdown has meant that contact between residents and our grandchildren, or in many cases great grandchildren, has been non-existent for almost a year now.

“Seeing happy young faces and hearing their chatter, if only for a few moments, gave an optimistic signal that there is a 'life beyond lockdown'.

“Hopefully, as restrictions are gradually lifted, visits inside can be resumed when a friendly chat between the generations can provide a real tonic.

“Thank you for braving the cold and bringing the little ones to see us this afternoon. It was a pleasure to see my Jan’s face light up when she saw them.”

There was a lot of excitement inside the home as the residents waited impatiently for the children to arrive. When they did, there was so much energy and noise as the residents and children waved to each other and stopped for a chat.

Vilma Patrizio, community hub manager, said: “Earlier on in the day my attention had been drawn to one our residents who every now and then would take a peek from her window to make sure she hadn’t missed the children. She was excited all day and spoke about her days when she ran a pre-school group saying ‘how much she had loved it.’ When the children called out her name the smile on her face was priceless. I felt very privileged to have shared this moment and personally just can’t wait to be able to have our little friends visit Otterbourne Hill again.

“Well done to the Bright Horizons children and staff for painting the hearts and braving the very cold day and to all those involved at Otterbourne Hill for helping to make memories to share. It’s true, a picture paints a thousand words.”

“I would also like to say thank you to Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford branches of The Co-op for kindly donating toiletries and to the Otterbourne Hill’s kitchen team for preparing homemade sweet treats for special Valentine’s goody bags for all the residents.”