AN INTERGENERATIONAL friendship brought people together over the festive period.

Musselburgh Grammar School and a centre for people affected by dementia joined forces on the ambitious project.

Ellie Ganson, a music teacher at the secondary school, has been working alongside Musselburgh Meeting Centre for a series of special events.

Musselburgh Meeting Centre is run by Dementia Friendly East Lothian and funded by East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (ELHSCP).

It offers those affected by dementia, unpaid carers and families the chance to access friendly and community-based support.

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They joined forces with the secondary school for a community Christmas coffee morning and the meeting centre’s members’ and friends’ Christmas party.

Every month, a number of young people in S5 and S6 and their teacher, Ms Ganson, join the meeting centre members.

Ms Ganson said: “The pupils have loved getting to know the members and come out of every session grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s great to see the different generations come together and find things that they have in common with each other.

“The pupils look forward to every trip and have built positive relationships with the members.”

Fiona Barrett, meeting centre manager, said: “This has been a truly wonderful experience for our members, their friends and families, and our team.

“This friendship isn’t just for Christmas – we’re looking forward to visiting the grammar school in 2024 to find out about bees and baristas!”

Jodie Hannan, headteacher at the secondary school, said: “There have been plenty of arts and crafts, board games and singing for the members and our pupils to get to know each other.

“Members have told us about living with the stigma of dementia; our pupils feel that, as teenagers, they are often stigmatised too.

“Not everything a school does can be, nor should be, measured by an exam and it has been a truly enriching experience for all involved.”