St Ives may seem a little quieter than usual after residents from a care home in the town welcomed youngsters from Meadow Lane Children's Nursery for some bedtime stories.

Residents from Care UK's Field Lodge on London Road have been reading well-known bedtime stories to local nursery children as part of a nationwide initiative to celebrate National Storytelling Week.

National Storytelling week took place from January 30 to February 5, and the Meadow Lane children were treated to a retelling of The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson.

Linda Martinez, Home Manager at Field Lodge, said: "We always enjoy opening our doors to the local community, so it was fantastic to be joined by Meadow Lane Nursery pupils.

"Intergenerational activities are incredibly enriching for all ages and provide a fantastic opportunity for residents and children to interact with one another.

"The youngsters were able to soak up a wonderful story, and the residents benefited from gaining a different perspective from the children on a new story."

READ MORE: St Ives care home residents share wisdom to nursery children

Care UK's Bedtime Stories initiative includes the launch of four free videos of residents reading famous stories, ensuring children across the UK who may not have a grandparent do not miss out on a classic magical tale before bedtime.

Linda added: "It's fantastic to host a session such as this to allow the two generations to spend time with one another.

"We thoroughly enjoyed hosting the 'Bedtime Stories' reading session with the schoolchildren and hope that we have helped them to continue building a love of reading."

Field Lodge resident Guy Grimley, 77, who read The Snail and the Whale to the children, said the experience was "so fun" and reminded him of when he used to read to the children back when he was teaching.

To watch four Bedtime Stories read by Care UK residents, or for more information about the Bedtime Stories initiative, visit: careuk.com/bedtime-stories