Nottinghamshire care home residents offer younger generations life advice for 2026
A group of elderly residents from a Nottinghamshire care home group have been handing out some new year’s advice for the younger generations.
To kick off 2026, residents from across Church Farm Care's five countywide homes – which includes Wren Hall in Selston – were asked to share some advice they would like to pass onto the younger generation to help them with the year ahead.
Among the more reflective responses, Kay, 78, said ‘keep caring’ while Janet, 88, advised ‘keep your head and do it properly’.
Audrey, 93, shared ‘we all have tough times, look after yourself’ and Tessa, 91, simply wrote ‘love living’.
Mac, 85, said ‘do what you can for others, and others will do what they can for you’, while Shirley, 79, encouraged people to ‘stay health, go for walks’.
Ann, 82, stated ‘if there is something you want, get it’, while Sheila’s straightforward advice was ‘see your mum’.
Nancy, 95, shared ‘keep doing your best, and get joy from others’, while Gill, 75, added ‘nobody’s finer than you – keep remembering it’.
Other residents took a more light-hearted approach, bringing humour and personality to the activity and reminding others that life doesn’t always have to be taken too seriously.
Marjorie, 85, suggested everyone should ‘support Stockport County’, while Chris, 77, urged people to ,eat ice cream’.
Brian, 78, simply advised ‘cheer up’, while Cath, 82, warned ‘try not to get arrested and don’t take drugs that aren’t prescribed’.
John, 83, said ‘mind your own business’, while Irene, 82, offered ‘just do it, baby’.
Paula, 91, encouraged people to ‘enjoy life and be kind (and do as you’re told)’, while Penny, 87, said ‘spend time with friends and drink white wine’.
In a similar vein, Karen, 79, advised people to ‘drink something nice’ while Frank, 89, delivered perhaps the cheekiest advice of all – ‘make love’.
The care group hopes the advice will help younger people reflect, smile and start the year positively – particularly during what can be a challenging time of year for many.
Lucy Atkinson, co-founder of Church Farm Care, said: “The new year felt like a wonderful opportunity for our family members to share their life advice with the wider community, and they had so much fun taking part.
"The range of answers really shows that happiness often comes down to simple things, and we hope people of all ages will take something meaningful – or at least something that makes them smile – from their words.”