A colourful new treasure hunt has brought residents at Bilbrook Rose together with local children, with hand-painted rocks now waiting to be discovered across Bilbrook and Codsall.
Created during the home’s ‘Adopt a Grandparent for an Hour’ afternoon, the Bilbrook Rocks project gave residents and their young visitors the chance to get creative together before sharing their miniature works of art with the wider community.
Bringing generations together through creativity
The activity formed part of Bilbrook Rose’s Half Term Fun Week and saw residents spend the afternoon painting and decorating rocks alongside their young visitors.
The session encouraged plenty of conversation, creativity and idea-sharing, with each participant putting their own personality into their design.
Once complete, every rock was signed by its creator and marked with the initials ‘BR’, allowing anyone who discovered one to recognise it as part of the Bilbrook Rocks treasure hunt.
For residents, the afternoon provided an opportunity to enjoy a creative activity while also spending meaningful time with younger members of the local community.
Taking Bilbrook Rocks into the community
After the painting session, residents helped hide the finished rocks in locations across Bilbrook and Codsall.
Members of the public were then encouraged to keep an eye out while walking through the area, visiting local green spaces or going about their day.
To add to the fun, the Bilbrook Rose team shared a series of clues pointing towards possible hiding places, including familiar residential streets, community spaces and locations linked to reading and shopping.
Anyone lucky enough to find one of the rocks was invited to take a photograph, share where it was discovered and tag Bilbrook Rose in their social media post.
An activity that continued beyond the home
The project did not end once the rocks had been hidden.
Photographs and social media posts shared by members of the community were shown to the residents and children who took part, giving them the opportunity to see where their creations had been discovered.
This helped turn a simple craft activity into an ongoing experience, giving residents something to follow, discuss and enjoy after the original session had finished.
It also created another way for residents to stay connected with the wider Bilbrook and Codsall community.
Elizabeth Bradley, Customer Relationship Manager at Bilbrook Rose, said: “The Bilbrook Rocks project brought two generations together to create something special for the whole community to enjoy. It was wonderful to see our residents and the children sharing ideas, getting creative and enjoying each other’s company.
“We were delighted to see the rocks make their way out into Bilbrook and Codsall for people to discover. It gave our residents and young visitors something really special to look back on, and we loved seeing families and members of the community get involved by sharing photographs of the rocks they found and letting us know where they had been discovered.”
Supporting wellbeing and community connection
Bilbrook Rocks forms part of the wider programme of activities at Bilbrook Rose, designed to support residents’ wellbeing while maintaining strong links with the surrounding community.
Meaningful activities can play an important role in creating opportunities for connection, enjoyment and a sense of purpose.
By bringing different generations together and involving the wider community, activities such as Bilbrook Rocks can continue to create enjoyment long after the original session has taken place.
Join the Bilbrook Rocks treasure hunt
Anyone who discovers one of the hand-painted creations is encouraged to take a photograph, share where it was found and tag Bilbrook Rose Care Home on Facebook.
The team will then be able to share the discovery with the residents and children who created the rocks.
To find out more about Bilbrook Rose and the residential, nursing, dementia and respite care available at the home, please contact a member of the team.
Alternatively, explore the latest Macc Care news and stories to discover more about life across our homes.
