One Hundred Reasons to Hope

Nina, a Latymer Sixth Former, received a very special invitation from Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, to attend the launch of ‘One Hundred Reasons to Hope’, the book that Captain Sir Tom Moore was working on before he died. Nina’s letter writing initiative, Community Senior Letters, is mentioned in the book.

Nina and her mum were invited for afternoon tea at Captain Sir Tom’s family home. Nina said: “The event was so lovely! It was amazing to meet so many inspirational people and hear their stories that featured in the book.”

“I had a lovely chat with the members of Captain Sir Tom’s family about The Captain Tom Foundation, and the work they are doing connecting generations together,” continued Nina. “It has a similar mission to Community Senior Letters. reducing loneliness and bridging the gap between young and old people.” 

Community Senior Letters is a non-profit community project that Nina set up, matching schools to care homes, so that students can write letters to lonely elderly residents. Nina started her project just after the first lockdown started when she realised that she’d no longer be able to continue running Community Senior Music, her initiative to take musical entertainment into care homes. The aim of the letter writing project is to provide the elderly with some form of human connection to ease feelings of isolation, since the ongoing issue of loneliness has been exacerbated by COVID-19. The letters help to lift spirits and put a smile on the residents’ faces, while the students involved are able to develop valuable skills such as kindness and empathy. It allows intergenerational connections to be made and friendships to be formed, building a sense of community and benefiting society as a whole.  

Over 250 care homes and more than 250 schools, both in the UK and internationally, have gotten involved, writing hundreds of thousands of letters. There have been letters sent from all corners of the globe – North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia – with coverage in various media outlets such asCBBC Newsround, Telegraph and Independent, as well as recognition for Nina including The Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award, Children and Young People Now: Children’s Achievement Award and Hammersmith & Fulham Covid-19 Champion Award.

Author: Karen Dove