Abbey View resident Roy Carne with pen pal Elinor Picture: Colton Care

Sherborne students meet care home pen pals after five years of letters

Tait ap EllisJuly 9, 20250 Comment0

GENERATIONS collided when four Sherborne students finally met the care home residents they have been connecting with for the past five years.

Students at Sherborne Girls School started a letter-writing initiative with residents, who are in their 80s and 90s, at Colten Care’s Abbey View in the town.

The pen pals started writing to each other during the height of Covid as a way to connect in a world that had become isolated for many.

At one point, there were more than a dozen Abbey View residents taking part.

Fast-forward to 2025, and there are now seven students who each write to a designated resident.

Resident Eve Walsh Waring with pen pal Rainie Picture: Colton Care

And the pen pals managed to meet one another, prompting fascinating conversations.

None more inspiring than that between resident David Froud and pen pal Imogen.

In her first letters to David, Imogen discussed studying specific subjects for her A levels but had not explicitly revealed her ambition of becoming a doctor.

In one reply, David revealed in just a few lines that his grandson Joseph is studying at university and aims to be a doctor, a message that inadvertently gave Imogen great encouragement to move forward with her own career ambitions.

Nicolette from Sherborne Girls School and Abbey View resident Keith Piddell Picture: Colton Care

A return letter from her evidenced how David had effectively mentored her after explaining that Joseph had wanted from a young age to enter medicine.

Imogen wrote: “It’s incredibly inspiring and it has given me even more motivation to work hard towards my own goal of becoming a doctor. It’s interesting Joseph knew his path from an early age, as I feel the same.”

Advising that she would have to work hard to pass the exams, David went on to say to Imogen: “I am sure you will make a fine doctor, as you have many qualities and a great deal of humanity.”

Imogen was joined by fellow students Nicolette, Rainie and Elinor on their visit to the care home, all of whom had written letters to residents.

Where possible, writing duos are teamed up based on common interests.

Resident David Froud with a letter from pen pal Imogen Picture: Colton Care

Following the correspondence between Rainie and resident Eve Walsh Waring, the pair, who were both born in Hong Kong, took the opportunity to discuss some artefacts Eve has collected over her lifetime relating to their shared birth region.

There were also engaging conversations between students Nicolette and Elinor and residents Keith Piddell and Roy Carne respectively.

Abbey View companionship team leader Bev de Bruyn extended her thanks to Sherborne Girls’ head of outreach and community liaison Amanda Macintosh, who helped broker the partnership between the school and the care home, and to companion Kim Jex, who coordinates all the resident-student correspondence.

Bev said: “This has been such a worthwhile activity that has brought benefits to pen pals across the generations.

“There have been some amazing connections made. It was a real joy to see the writers meet each other.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have partnered with Sherborne Girls to make this happen.”