People today use email and WhatsApp and Teams and social media to communicate their message which makes handwritten letters less common. In Fleetwood which connects primary school students with elderly members of their local community to bring back this traditional method of communication.
The project establishes connections between students at Flakefleet Primary School and YMCA Fleetwood leisure centre aqua aerobics class members who will participate in intergenerational relationship building activities. Head teacher Dave McPartlin said the initiative aims to restore deeper human connection in a world where children spend most of their time on digital devices and on-demand entertainment.
The feedback we received from people has been extremely positive. Nine-year-old Jesse described writing his first pen pal letter as both exciting and calming. His letter reached 76-year-old Dennis Spence who quickly established a friendship with him because they both loved football but supported different teams. Dennis said their common interest made it easy to respond and build rapport. Sue Spence, 75, also received a letter, calling the exchange “a lovely interaction” that helped bridge generational gaps.
Ten students experienced a life-changing metamorphosis through this program. Ten-year-old Skyla said the scheme boosted her confidence and improved her reading and writing skills. She used her letter to her pen pal to introduce herself and tell about her roller-skating hobby and ask about her pen pal free time activities. Lynne Aldersley, 73, who once attended the same school as Skyla, warmly replied. She made people laugh by recounting her unsuccessful attempts to roller-skate when she was young and explained how she used to roller-skate in the past but now practices it again through this project. Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the Children’s Laureate, praised the program by describing it as an excellent writing method.
