Londonderry pupils send letters to Santa and elderly residents

Pupils at Holy Child Primary School in Creggan sending small gifts and letters to elderly people at Creggan Day Centre

Primary pupils in Londonderry have been very busy writing their letters to Santa, and to elderly residents in care homes and adult day centres.

The letters aim to bring much-needed festive cheer to older people right across the north west after a difficult year.

Several primary schools have been colouring and decorating letters and cards for their new pensioner pen-pals.

Santa will have his work cut out this year with a shark, a tree house and an ice cream van on some pupil's Christmas wish-lists.

Pupils sang Christmas carols with elderly people at Creggan Day Centre through the windows

Along with the letters sent by Holy Child Primary School, people at the Creggan Adult Day Centre also received a small gift and were sent a recorded copy of the school's nativity play, which early reviews suggest will be a Christmas cracker.

The items were delivered by the children outside the care home, who sang Christmas carols with elderly residents through the windows.

The gifts and letters were sanitised by Western Health Trust staff before being distributed.

People at Creggan Day Centre also got a digital copy of the school's nativity play to watch on their IPads

Christmas wish list

Pupils have been carefully deliberating on what they would like to see underneath their Christmas trees and told Santa, and those in the day centre, what they would like:

"I really want an ice cream van from Santa so that I can make my mammy some chocolate ice cream. I also want a bike" - Eva May, three

"I'm so excited for this Christmas because I'm getting my room done up. I can't wait until Christmas morning to wake up to my new room" - Anna, 11

"I would like a tree house and Barbies from Santa because I have been very good this year" - Clara, four

"I really want a Megalodon from Santa, you know the big shark that jumps out of the water! I also would like some Hulk hands, because Hulk is my favourite" - Arlo, four

Principal Nicola Cullen says the children have been involved in a variety of Christmas schemes at the school

"Things may be a little different this year, but we are hoping to create an atmosphere of wonder and awe in all of the children," principal Nicola Cullen said.

The Creggan primary school also has an array of events and activities planned to help get pupils and staff in the Christmas mood after a stop-start school year.

"There is a Santa scavenger hunt to get pupils and parents out walking together and we also did a Twelve Days of Christmas reverse advent calendar for Foyle Foodbank.

"It's when pupils bring in food items each day for those who need them," Mrs Cullen explained.

There was a huge response to the school's Twelve Days of Christmas reverse advent calendar for Foyle Foodbank

Pupils at Oakgrove Integrated Primary School in the Waterside will be sending letters to Rectory Field Care Home through an initiative run by medical centres.

At least eight primary schools and eight nursing homes are involved in the pen-pal scheme run through the Glendermott and Eglinton practices.

Daniel Quinn, who is a social worker involved in the programme, said the primary school pen-pal scheme was brought about from a suggestion by Derry GP Nicola Herron to help combat isolation in the district.

Over 150 personalised letters, cards and pieces of art work have been made for the older people

Speaking to BBC News NI, Mr Quinn said it is hoped the initiative would help teach children about "empathy and kindness" and establish "a regular pen-pal relationship between a young person and older person".

"So far, school children have provided over 150 personalised letters, cards and pieces of art work for the older people," he said.

"In the long-term we hope the older people will write back and, when restrictions allow, we will be able to arrange for pupils to come and visits the care homes."

"Some children have had their trees up since the day after Halloween," Mr Collins says

Oakgrove PS has a long-running connection with the care home and in previous years would have visited residents over the festive period.

Primary seven teacher Rory Collins said pupils wanted to keep in contact with the residents this year and keep spirits up within the community during the pandemic.

"We were very lucky we had a full class last week, which has hardly happened this year, we just spent the day writing Christmas cards with positive messages in them and recorded ourselves singing carols," he said.

"Children have missed out on school trips, pantos and a lot of other things, but that hasn't stopped them getting into the Christmas spirit."