PRESCHOOLERS have spread the festive cheer in Thornbury during a trip to sing Christmas carols to residents of a retirement home in the town.

The 12 boys and girls from First Step Preschool braved the cold as they walked all the way from their site at the Crossways Schools to visit residents of Beech House care home in Thornbury this morning.

Before the carolling session, the children were given the chance to play with their toys and interact with the residents of the home, the oldest having just turned 106 years old.

“It has been amazing today,” said First Step leader Sue Ross, “the children have enjoyed being about to meet the residents of Beech House and you can see the smiles on everyone’s faces.

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“Hopefully the children will be a bit more confident in meeting older people after today, it is often quite scary for children at this age to be in new surroundings, but positive experiences like this can help to form a lasting relationship with the elderly.

“And it is really nice for the residents to have some new company. It is all about the community and that is what we are here for, especially with the decorations up and it being such a festive time of year.”

The residents then gathered in the conservatory as the children sang a range of songs, including festive classics “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to “Father Christmas Got Stuck”.

Beech House team leader Sophie Lines said how wonderful it was to have the children at the home and that their visit was thoroughly enjoyed by the residents.

She said: “It is lovely to see the different generations come together and enjoy each other’s company.

“It also brings a lot of joy for us as staff at Beech House to see residents full of smiles when interacting with the children.”

Further plans for interaction between First Step and Beech House will see residents potentially visit the preschool to enjoy their nativity performance next week.