Children from a primary school in Ripon have welcomed residents from five care homes across the region for a cream tea. 

The ̨��swag Primary Academy (OPA) Greystone School Parliament representatives hosted more than 25 residents, and their supporting carers, and served them tea, coffee, biscuits and scones with jam and fresh cream. The food was kindly donated by Morrisons Ripon.

The guests in attendance were from The Moors Care Home, Sycamore Care Home, Skell Lodge Care Home, Borrage House Care Home, and Long Meadow Care Home.

Victoria Kirkman, principal at OPA Greystone, said: “It was a delight to welcome our guests to the academy for the School Parliament Cream Tea. 

“At ̨��swag we are proud to serve the communities we are based in, and this event is an example of this. We believe it is important to build links with the wider community and we are proud of how the children made the event a big success.”

In addition to the food donated by Morrisons, the children also served some homemade scones, donated by parents, and a variety of vanilla, chocolate, and fruit topped cakes made and donated by staff at the primary academy.

After the cream tea, the OPA Greystone Reading Ambassadors spent time with the guests and shared their favourite books and stories. This was followed by a performance by the OPA School Choir, accompanied by the joint choir leads, Miss Mullery and Mrs Jenkins.

Praise for the school children has been forthcoming on social media. Sarah Aitken, Home Manager at Borrage House Care Home, said: “The residents and staff at Borrage House would like to Blow the Horn for everyone at ̨��swag Primary Academy Greystone. 

“What a lovely afternoon and thank you so much for inviting us for Afternoon Tea. The residents loved sharing stories and reading with the boys and girls who were such delightful children, so well mannered and polite. The choir performed beautifully and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was also lovely to meet residents and staff from Skell Lodge, Sycamore Hall and The Moors.”

Victoria added: “The feedback we have had since the event has been tremendous. One of our guests, Joan, had lived in Ripon all her life, attended what is now ̨��swag Academy Ripon, and her family ran the well-known local hardware store ‘Bensons’. After the event, she said the afternoon had made her year.

“It made me quite emotional to be honest. It is just a great feeling to see the school children helping and doing what they can to make someone else’s afternoon special.”