Friday, 30 April 2021
English students at the University of Nottingham have found a novel way of staying in touch with people in care homes they used to visit for face-to-face poetry and literature reading sessions.
Before the pandemic hit last year, groups of students would regularly spend time in residential and nursing homes and also hospital wards in the city, as part of a shared reading outreach project run by the School of English.
With normal visiting banned for over a year now, the students have been designing and publishing a series of magazines that are being distributed to residents in care homes across Nottingham and elderly hospital patients at the Queen’s Medical Centre.
Student magazine for residents at Landermeads care home in Nottingham.
The magazines include original creative writing, poetry, puzzles, articles on local history and photo essays. The student writers have also been sharing their personal experiences of university and the pandemic with these older readers to maintain the social connections between the generations.
The magazines have proven to be a tonic for residents and patients who, according to one care home worker, are at the present time ‘in need of a little more sunshine in their lives’. The editions produced so far have been themed around the seasons or the year.
Third year English student Megan Bower, one of the magazine editors, said: “It’s been great that we’ve been able to contribute to brightening someone’s day with these magazines. Creating the bespoke newsletters has been both enjoyable and rewarding for our whole editorial team. With two seasonal editions already out, and a third, summer, edition underway, we hope these magazines have been as fun for people to read, as they have been for us to create.”
Student editors, Megan Bower, Maddi Maya and Panagiota Xenitidou.
Activities co-ordinator Deborah Young, from the city council-owned Oaks Residential Home in St Ann’s, Nottingham, said: “We have been working with the University of Nottingham for a number of years through our love of poetry. We have had the honour to work with lovely students and have built up memorable relationships. Obviously, the pandemic has hit us hard and we miss our interaction with our poetry club. Our residents have been so grateful to the wonderful students for this fresh idea of a specially tailored magazine. The magazine contains poetry, lovely pictures and even little profiles of the students. Residents have enjoyed reading it and they said that they felt happy and more connected to the outside world.”
Care home resident Brenda Lloyd enjoying one of the student magazines.
Dr Kevin Harvey, School of English
Dr Kevin Harvey from the university’s School of English, said: “The magazines have brought generations together – and my intention is for the project continue in the years to come, post-pandemic. People will always enjoy a good read . . . Devising the magazines has also given students experience of writing and publishing, an experience not only edifying in itself but something that will also help with students’ future job applications and career aspirations.
Many of our students are interested in publishing, journalism and the creative industries. The scheme benefits everyone!”
Story credits
For more information please contact Dr Kevin Harvey, School of English, University of Nottingham via email kevin.harvey@nottingham.ac.uk or Emma Rayner, Media Relations Manager on 0115 951 5793 or emma.rayner@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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