Pictures of Joy

Pictures of Joy is a new project to put a smile on the face of care home residents, particularly those with dementia.

We are creating lovely laminated pictures, some with a line of a poem on, others just the picture, for care home residents to enjoy and to spark conversation. The pictures can be wiped clean between each resident, to stop germs spreading. Activity co-ordinators at the care homes we have trialled them  have said they have proved popular with residents.

If you'd like to get involved, by either submitting pictures for us to laminate, or if you're a care home who would like some laminated pictures for your residents, do email Wendy, via our contact page.

What picture would bring a smile to an older person living in a care home?

- Youth Photography Competition -

Thanks to funding from the Jo Cox Foundation's Connection Coalition, we have been able to expand our Pictures of Joy project through running an Intergenerational Youth Photography competition.

We invited young people to take photos of what they thought might "bring a smile to an older person living in a care home". We received many amazing photos, with excellent compositions, from which a panel of four decided on one winning photo and 10 runner-ups, which you can enjoy below. 

These 11 winning photos will be printed, lamented and presented in a beautiful box for 17 care homes in Richmond, for the residents to enjoy both in one-to-one conversation as well as in group activities.

When asked what difference the pictures make to the residents, one activities co-ordinator replied "they bring a lot of joy, lots of conversation, and the residents really become present in the moment."

First place:

"Spotted: a mouse hidden in the grass" By Emily, age 15

Runners up:

A worker bee enjoying some pollen in the sun! By Juliette, age 20

My sister with Winston the golden retriever. Winston always brings a smile to our faces when he comes to visit (we "dog sit" him through a borrow my dog app) so I hope he'll make you smile too. By Nicole, age 15

My little brother pretending to be the Statue of Liberty by licking his ice-cream into the shape of a torch and a paper crown on his head. By Joanna, age 20

Our lovely new kitten Neo was the best present under the tree! By Juliette, age 20

Blue. By Chantel, age 17

Sunset on the farm. By Justin, age 20

Some flowers I saw on a walk in spring. By Justin, age 20

Up close and personal swan. By Chantel, age 17

Our local cat blissfully giving itself a wash! By Amy, age 15

I spotted several birds hovering in my garden. By Helena, age 23

Here are some of the lovely things our winners said:

"When I heard I was runner-up I felt I had achieved something good and was super excited. I think with old age comes wisdom and great memories and I hope my picture brought back some nice memories for someone."
Joanna, age 10

"Thank you!! I entered the competition as I've volunteered through Embracing Age in the past and thought it was such a wonderful idea for a project! I'm overjoyed to know that my photos will bring smiles to some lovely care home residents who may need something to brighten their day. Thank you Embracing Age!"
Juliette, age 20

"I entered the competition as I wanted to make others smile with my photographs and give them a giggle. I feel very happy that I got selected as a runner up, it really made my day! "
Chantel, age 17

Huge thanks to the Jo Cox Foundation for their support enabling us to expand our project with this wonderful intergenerational aspect, and to everyone that took part in the competition. We know these photos will bring a lot of joyful and connection for the care home residents who receive them.