Young and old come together

Young and old come together

25 June 2025

A NEW intergenerational arts project has been launched in Saintfield.

The project has involved men from Saintfield Men’s Shed and pupils from nearby Saintfield High School, who have been working alongside artist Marketa Babackova to explore and learn the art of pyrography. 

A celebration event was held at Saintfield Men’s Shed last week when the chair of Saintfield Community Association, Dennis Conn, unveiled a bench decorated in pyrography sketches linked to local history and landmarks.

The group were joined by local people and guests who enjoyed a barbecue and refreshments.

The project is one of three new intergenerational partnerships that Linking Generations Northern Ireland (LGNI) have developed as part of its REAP What you Sow Through Art Project, funded as part of the Arts Council NI Rural Engagement in Arts Programme.

Vicki Titterington, Director of LGNI, said they were “delighted” to have supported the special connection between older and younger people in Saintfield and “can’t wait” to see them grow their connections in the future.

She said: “Projects like this increase community spirit, are good for everyone’s mental health and contribute to educational outcomes for the young people involved.

“The bench and plans for future intergenerational links act as a perfect legacy.”

Men’s Shed leaders Iggy O’Doherty and Leslie Frew said they were delighted to be involved in the “unique” intergenerational project with the local high school.

He said: “The handcrafted bench, which we co-created, captures local history, preserves our townlands heritage and is a piece of living art.

“We were pleased to be a partner in championing intergenerational learning.”

A pupil involved in the project said: “I liked learning new skills and meeting new people, and learnt that everyone has good stories to tell.”

For more information on how to get involved in intergenerational work, visit: www.linkinggenerationsni.com.