Community May 2020

DearSoham
T
he Shade and Weatheralls schools in
Soham have been collaborating with
community organisations to celebrate VE
day. Over 30 children have written letters to
local older residents and in return they will
send their own letter to the children sharing
memories of VE day and post war
experiences.
Many of the residents are
shielding, and are
delighted to be taking
part, engaging with
children and sharing
their memories and
experiences. Some
residents at Soham
Lodge are not only
taking part in the letter
writing, but also making a
film of their memories which they will share
with the children. A wonderful way to
commemorate VE day whilst creating a
piece of social history.
Want to Join in? Here’s how
-MyDearNewFriend
The ‘My Dear New Friend’ project encourages children to write
letters to people living in care homes, it is supported by the National
Literacy Trust and you can find out more about it on their website –
www.literacytrust.org.uk/family-zone/mydearnewfriend
We learnt about this project just as we went to press. Already a few
Support Groups have said they would like to facilitate letter
exchange in their own communities – if you live in Fordham or
Soham then please get in touch with Fordham Timebank or Soham
Handy Helpers (details listed on back pages) and in Littleport
contact Joanne Coe by email Theport@mail.com. Age doesn’t
matter …we know people across the life spectrum would love to rekindle
the lost art of letter writing!