Kindness Postbox exhibition held in local libraries for Positive Ageing month!
Monday 21 October 2024
An exhibition showcasing the wonderful mix of drawings, cards and letters from the Borough’s Kindness Postboxes will be held in local libraries throughout Positive Ageing month!
The Kindness Postbox is a community-focused project based on the idea of bringing little bursts of happiness to those most isolated and affected by difficult times in our society today.
The display will be on show in local libraries in Carrickfergus, Ballymena and Larne until the end of October. The exhibition is FREE and everyone is welcome to share the colourful connections made during normal library opening hours.
The Kindness Postbox started in Enniskillen as a project to give residents of local care homes in lockdown something to smile about. The idea has now spread, and through the Loneliness Network in Mid and East Antrim, there are currently four partnerships helping to connect generations and reduce isolation.
The scheme encourages children to write a cheerful letter, draw a picture or find an uplifting card or postcard and post it into a Kindness Postbox.
The letters are then collected and distributed to residents of local care homes. Every card, letter, poem, picture and drawing goes a long way to brighten someone’s day.
Currently there are four Kindness box partnerships in the Borough between:
- 1st Cullybackey Scouts and Alzheimer’s NI
- Access Employment Larne (AEL) and Gillaroo Lodge Nursing Home and Larne Adult Centre
- Eden Primary School and Burleigh Hill House
- Moorfields Primary School and Galgorm Care Home
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Alderman Beth Adger MBE, said: “Council is committed to working in partnership with other stakeholders to establish Mid and East Antrim as a place where our older people can live active and engaged lives, making a valuable contribution to their communities.
“Positive Ageing Month is one such initiative where, in association with our partners - Northern Health and Social Care Trust, Public Health Agency and Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership - our Council is working collaboratively to put together an extensive and diverse range of events and workshops.”
Chairperson of the Loneliness Network, Marjorie Hawkins, said: “The Kindness Post-boxes are an incredible way to let local people share a little kindness with each other.
“Allowing our children to think about care home residents in their community and write to them reminds them they are not forgotten, and someone is thinking about them.
“Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network is committed to reducing loneliness and social isolation in our Borough and getting the message across that help is available and you are never alone. The Kindness Postbox scheme is just one way of many projects aiming to do just that.”