Combating Loneliness

The children at Burraton Community Primary School have been reaching out to members of the local community to help overcome loneliness, synonymous for some with this time of year.

The Community Committee, members of Burraton’s Pupil Parliament, decided that they would like to participate in a wonderful initiative called ‘Postcards of Kindness.’ The online initiative has seen an exponential increase of individuals and organisations joining a special community of people who send postcards to people living alone, in care homes and to dementia support groups. The postcards are sent with the intention of brightening someone’s day, letting them know that there are people who care about them as individuals and to trigger conversations and memories.

At Burraton, it was decided that the children would like to create their own postcards. A photography competition was held, with pupils invited to submit photographs of the local area. Following careful judging, the winning images were turned into postcards for the school to use. Each month the children from a different year group will write their own postcard. This means that 60 postcards will be written and sent each month, with the intention of putting a smile on the face of someone in our local community. Whilst the pupils may not know the person who will receive their postcard, they all know that reaching out to other people is a human act of kindness. We are very proud that our school community are so passionate about supporting those of a different generation and recognising that we can all spread joy, no matter who we are or how old we are.

Article by Nikki Carvell, Burraton CP School