North Ayrshire

Story
2020 has made us realise the similar feelings of isolation that adopted or fostered children and older people can experience. By encouraging our kids to send "hug bugs and hearts” a connection has been made between the young and the older people in our community. The older people responded to the children and said, “my hug lifted my spirit," "I have my hug and card displayed so I can see it easily," "thank you, you sent me a smile," “it’s lovely to know that someone out there was thinking about me”

We plan to strengthen the connection made with the “Hug Bugs and Hearts” through making pen pals across the generations. The excitement that the children felt when hearing feedback and getting an “actual letter” through the post, addressed to them, has made us reflect on how we communicate and while we’ve needed the digital, sometimes the “old ways” of communicating still need to be embraced.

Vision
… while we’ve needed the digital, sometimes the “old ways” of communicating still need to be embraced