When 1st Reading Sea Scouts volunteer Caroline’s father moved into Winchcombe Place care home in Newbury earlier this year, she vowed to rekindle his memories of Scouting through her own colony of Beavers.

‘Grandpa Beaver’, as he is warmly known, lives with dementia but a visit from the Beavers helped to jog happy recollections. What was planned as a one-hour stay proved so successful that the colony extended their trip by an additional 40 minutes, as they made friends with the care home residents, some of whom were also former Scout and Guide leaders.

“One resident shook my left hand saying he had been a Scout Commissioner in Solihull,” explains Caroline. “Another told me she had been a Brown Owl. 20 residents joined us for what was supposed to be an hour’s visit but as everyone was getting on so well, we stayed 1 hour 40 minutes, making Christmas cards to be given to residents with no families. We made snow globes, decorated giant baubles and gingerbread men, and painted tea lights. Residents also asked the Beavers about their badges and uniforms.”

One of the standout moments from the visit was a violin solo by six-year-old Helios, who has been playing for just a year. A genuine star-turn by a young musician who has also been playing piano since the age of three-and-a-half! It’s no wonder that Winchcombe Care Home has invited the Beavers back again in the Spring!