Interview – Patrick Butler, care village Belong

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE ENTAIL?

My goal is to build a vibrant intergenerational care village, providing high-quality support, experiences and opportunities for all ages.

Belong is a dementia care specialist and this will be our first care village with an integrated children’s nursery – the first of its kind in the North-West. For the launch we have partnered with Ready Generations, a charity founded by early years experts Sue Egersdorff and Liz Ludden.

Ready Generations will operate the nursery and works more widely to advocate and research the benefits of connection between generations through education, the promotion of lifelong learning, health and care. Together, we also work in partnership with the University of Stirling and Liverpool John Moores University.

We already have a successful track record in creating extensive opportunities for intergenerational exchange and experiences through relationships with local nurseries, schools and people across our seven established Belong villages.

The vision for the nursery in Belong is to build on this existing practice and provide a blueprint for intergenerational practice, leading the way in integrated, inclusive and sustained human-centred design.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE ROLE?

I’ve always been passionate about care for all ages, so, the concept of an intergenerational care environment presents an exciting opportunity to be involved in.

There’s also the community aspect – every Belong village acts as a vibrant hub, with on-site facilities such as hair salons, gyms and bistros open to the wider community, and this will be the case for the Chester village (Covid regulations permitting).

Belong is a values-driven, not-for-profit organisation, focused on providing the best possible care and community relationships.

YOU PREVIOUSLY OPERATED TWO NURSERIES. TELL US ABOUT THEM.

In 1995, I developed and opened my first nursery in Market Drayton, Shropshire. Called Kinderkare, it was initially set up for 25 children and, owing to popular demand, later expanded to 75 places. It remains in operation, but under a different name.

A few years later, I developed the new Whitchurch Pre-School Nursery, also registered for 75 children, which still trades under the same name.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO MOVE ON FROM RUNNING NURSERIES?

I took a couple of years out to spend time with my young family, before returning to work in 2006. Before the break, I sold two nursing homes I was also running, and when I came back, I focused on gaining more experience and building my skillset within larger organisations. I had created for myself a solid foundation running nurseries and nursing homes for years and now it was time to learn in bigger environments.

HOW WILL YOU USE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN CHILDCARE?

My day-to-day role at the village will be to oversee and facilitate the partnership with Ready Generations and the nursery team, alongside leading the care services for older people, both in the village and wider community. I believe to do my job you have to be compassionate, caring and loving. I really enjoy being with people of all ages, and with over 30 years’ experience running childcare and adult care facilities, you certainly pick up a few things.

HOW WILL CHILDREN AND RESIDENTS BENEFIT?

Belong Chester’s intergenerational, community-centred approach is designed to achieve a number of positive outcomes for everyone. These include supporting the learning and development of children and older people, reducing loneliness and bringing together people of all ages to foster and strengthen relationships. We believe this makes for a strong, respectful community and a healthier place to live and work.

Customers who live in the village, either in one of the shared ‘households’ or independent living apartments, will have a wealth of opportunities to enjoy time alongside the nursery children, led by a specialist intergenerational facilitator.

Working with Ready Generations, we have developed a bespoke intergenerational curriculum, called the Mirrored Curriculum Framework, which is a relational model based around the principles of social pedagogy. Examples include planned experiences such as storytelling, drama, art, music, dance and yoga, alongside opportunities to build relationships through shared walks, mealtimes and just sitting together to talk and listen to each other.

The nursery has a separate garden, adjoining the residents’ garden, enabling shared outdoor experiences. We may even have the grandchildren of our residents using the nursery.

Children bring a different dynamic to any care setting; they are inquisitive, generally unbiased, and keen to interact with the world around them – they really are the seeds of the future, so it is imperative they can interact well with older people, to learn empathy and that living alongside others who are different to them is a positive and joyful thing.

Likewise, for the older people living with us, the fun, the smiles, the happiness that children can bring will be of tremendous benefit to their wellbeing.

WHY HAVE INTERGENERATIONAL SETTINGS GROWN IN POPULARITY?

Society has started to recognise the importance of emotional wellbeing and the opportunities for people of all ages where intergenerational aspects are at play. Whole neighbourhoods and housing schemes are being designed to meet the diverse needs of every age and to respond positively to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. As Western society has grown more insular in its daily living experiences, wider family support networks have, to some extent, faded away. The nursery in Belong will aim to bridge some of that gap by bringing young and older generations together again.