Ian Wheelton, 83, is surrounded by two-year-olds, dancing and clapping their hands as he sings Happiness by Ken Dodd at Belong care village's intergenerational choir session. “It's one of their favourites,” says the former semi-professional singer, before breaking into a jaunty rendition of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.
Ian is one of 58 residents that live in the state-of-the-art care village in the heart of the city of Chester. Overlooking a historic canal on the site of a former disused warehouse, the village is one of the first settings in the UK to offer fully integrated intergenerational care.
The pioneering project is the result of a partnership between charity Ready Generations, which runs the onsite children's day nursery, and dementia specialist care provider Belong, which operates seven care villages in the North West.
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