Six-foot banner crafted by friends aged eight to 88-years-old celebrates their strong community link.

The creative efforts of schoolchildren and older people living with dementia have been unveiled to friends and family in a celebratory event.

For the past year residents at Charlton Court and pupils from Battle Hill Primary School in North Tyneside have been getting creative in a £10,000 project.

Alongside the huge textile banner, residents have turned their hand to story-telling, animation and gardening during weekly sessions with creative ageing charity Equal Arts and Year 4 students at the school.

Rhiannon Long, activities coordinator at the home run by Akari Care, said: “The banner looks fantastic in our foyer and is attracting a lot of positive comments. It’s been brilliant to see how well the residents and children work together and the fun they have. Poppy is hugely enthusiastic and great at getting everyone involved. We’re looking forward to continuing our links with the community and working together on future projects.”

The group unveiled the woodland themed banner at the school in North Tyneside alongside an animation of their original story, Rosie’s Birds.

Louise Wells, Headteacher from Battle Hill Primary School, said: “Everyone who came to the celebration event was really impressed by the beautiful artwork that the group have created together. Our children have loved working with their friends at Charlton Court, and the banner is a wonderful reminder of their time together.”

Equal Arts artist Poppy Crawshaw has supported the group to create the tale with story-telling sessions which encourage participants to explore their imaginations.

She said: “What the group have created together is fantastic, it’s been great to see them learn alongside one another and sharing their stories. The friends and family of residents at Charlton Court were looking for a project that would give people the opportunity to try new things, share their different skills and help build relationships within the community to tackle loneliness.

“The group both had a shared interest in the Rising Sun Country Park and were able to visit the park, where they were inspired by the countryside and nature when creating the banner and story.

The project was made possible after funding of £10,000 from Big Lottery’s Awards for All fund.