STUDENTS from John of Gaunt School in Trowbridge have been doing their bit in the community this week by launching a project to help older people record their life stories.

A total of 12 students visited the Studley Green Day Centre on Friday to interact with the older generation and it is hoped that a year book, which will include photos, life stories and musical memories, will be created for them to keep.

The project was the brainchild of Mary Cullen, community engagement manager in Trowbridge.

She said: “The idea of an intergenerational project came about as part of my role, looking for ways to bring communities together, to share skills and knowledge, strengthen links and build resilience. We hope that the links between the school and the day centre will grow and develop over time.”

Funded by the Trowbridge Area Board, the project will also see the pupils work with the older people in the coming months in improving their technology skills.

Eugene Spiers, assistant headteacher at John of Gaunt added: “There is a lot of misunderstanding between the young and old and it is about bridging that gap. Before we went down on Friday, I made them write down words they think of when you think of old people. It was a mixture of stereotypical terms but there was also some nice words based on the student’s own experiences of their relatives.

“The hope long term is to sustain a link with the day centre group and when we go down to visit them, it is only for an hour or so but it is the simple things like showing them how to get online or Skype someone that can go along a long way.

“I think we will see some real surprises because already they are breaking the stereotypes and they are really getting into the older generation’s back story.”

The sessions are held on Fridays.