Lark Hill Village Chosen for Channel 4’s Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds

ExtraCare’s Lark Hill Retirement Village has been chosen for the return of Channel 4’s BAFTA nominated Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds.

The series will create a nursery within the village in Nottingham, the largest retirement community in the UK and home to more than 420 residents ranging in age from 60-102.

Those taking part in the experiment include a 97 year-old karaoke loving Dunkirk veteran, a glamorous tap dancing Essex girl, a 91 year-old good Samaritan who has spent her life helping others, receiving an MBE for her efforts and a cheeky former Kodak film spooler.

Ten older adults and ten four year-olds will share daily activities designed by experts who will measure and analyse the older groups’ physical and mental progress throughout. As well as analysing frailty, memory and mood, there will also be a series of new tests. The younger group will also be observed to see how they benefit from the interaction with the older adults.

The team of experts; Gerontologist, Professor Malcolm Johnson, Consultant Geriatrician, Dr Zoe Wyrko and Physiotherapist, Dr Melrose Stewart; will also be returning and will be joined by Biogerontologist Dr James Brown and Early Years specialist Alistair Bryce-Clegg.

Mick Laverty, Chief Executive at The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome Channel 4 to Lark Hill Village and to have been chosen to take part in this heart-warming series. Our residents are inspirational, leading active lives as part of a wider community that comprises visiting volunteers, families, community organisations and schools. ExtraCare is committed to supporting intergenerational opportunities and believes there are mutual benefits for both the children and adults involved.”

Facilities at Lark Hill Village include a café bar, craft room, hairdressing and beauty salon, and fitness suite. It is a vibrant community with over 40 activities taking place in the village each week. A village well-being centre helps residents maintain a healthy lifestyle. A recent study with Aston University found that residents living in ExtraCare’s villages reduced their dependence on GP and hospital services.

Residents at ExtraCare’s retirement villages enjoy a range of intergenerational activities. They have visited local schools to listen to pupils reading and help with work. Children have attended craft classes run by residents. Older people have passed on their memories and students have danced with residents to Gangnam Style.

Channel 4's Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds

Channel 4’s Acting Head of Factual Entertainment, Lucy Leveugle said: “We are absolutely delighted to be supersizing Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds by taking it to the UK’s largest retirement community for a longer period of time. The continuing legacy of this series is testament to the universality of the issue of social isolation and loneliness. Both the older residents and the children’s stories are compelling and heart-warming and we are so grateful to them for sharing them with us.”

The first series of Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds was broadcast in 2017. An experiment inspired by a revolutionary American scheme brought together the very young and the very old for a six week period to attempt to prove scientifically that these two generations can transform the physical, social and emotional well-being of the older volunteers for the better.

A team of geriatric specialists medically tested the impact the children had on the older group and the results demonstrated significant improvements in mood, movement and mobility of the older group.

PHOTO CAPTION: Lark Hill Village, a ‘vibrant community’ with over 40 activities a week.

PHOTO CAPTION: The ExtraCare Charitable Trust’s Lark Hill Village, Nottingham.

For more information, please contact: Richard Tower: M: 0772 055 3658. richard.tower@extracare.org.uk

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust is a registered charity based in Coventry since 1988. Our vision is better lives for older people and our mission is creating sustainable communities that provide homes older people want, lifestyles they can enjoy and care if it’s needed. To deliver our vision and mission we essentially do three things:

To deliver our vision we essentially do three things:

We develop new villages
We operate villages and schemes
We support our villages, schemes and our ‘extra-care’ model through fundraising, advocacy and research

Each village or scheme has 5 to 18 social, health and leisure facilities that are accessible to our residents, volunteers and local people representing all age groups living in surrounding communities. Our Charity Shops help fund care and well-being services for older people living at our each of our locations.

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Lark Hill Village Chosen for Channel 4’s Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds