News

Maidstone Museum is helping to bring joy and recreate happy memories to local care home residents, thanks to funding from Golding Homes. 

Golding is supporting local communities by providing funding to key charity partners who have been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The money will help the organisations to continue providing valuable services to help people cope in these challenging times. 

Maidstone Museum recently benefited from the Covid-19 funding, enabling them to set up ‘Maidstone Memories’ sessions in local residential homes, using objects from the museum.

Due to the lack of visits by family, residents of homes for the elderly are some of the most isolated in our community, so Maidstone Museum has created these new sessions to make contact and help improve wellbeing.  The residential home chooses either to receive a box of objects which can be handled by residents (these will be quarantined before and after use), or the objects can be shown virtually from the museum. 

Helen Critcher, Community Investment Lead at Golding Homes said: “The last year has been incredibly challenging for everyone, particularly those in residential homes who have often been unable to see their friends and family.

“It’s more important now than ever to support our local communities, so we are delighted that through our Covid-19 Fund we are able to help a local organisation deliver such a creative solution to tackle social isolation during these difficult times.”

Evelyn Palmer, Public Programming Manager at Maidstone Museum said: “The Museum is delighted to have been awarded this grant from Golding Homes and we hope the sessions will give residents the chance to talk about past experiences, bringing back happy memories. 

“The objects box will include old photographs with themes including transport, home-making, local industry, shops, and the rural villages around the town. We hope to run 12 sessions from the end of March which would be free to each residential home.”

Residential homes that want to get involved will need to have a large screen in a communal area linked to a laptop and someone to facilitate. To take part or for more information please email Evelyn Palmer at Maidstone Museum on evelynpalmer@Maidstone.gov.uk.

Golding launched their Covid-19 Community funding last year during the first lockdown and was able to support 14 different organisations and charities, including MMK Mind, Citizens Advice Medway, and The Stones Community Trust.