Anglesey toddlers and care home residents join for project

A creative community event on Anglesey will bring together these two groups in a colourful celebration of art, music and friendship as part of the Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail 2026.

Taking place in Llangoed on Sunday, March 29, the Caterpillars and Butterflies Trail is a fully interactive performance involving preschoolers and residents of Haulfre Care Home.

Wendy Davies, one of the Camau Bach team leaders, said: "This project has been about bringing people together who would not normally share the same space.

"After seeing the children and the residents together at our pop-up Nativity last Christmas we are really looking forward to seeing them work alongside each other in the workshops and trail.

"We hope the whole community – and some of the many visitors to the Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail – will get the chance to be part of something that crosses the generations while having a lot of fun at the same time."

The trail will kick off with a 2pm performance at Haulfre Care Home, followed by a 3-4pm show at Llangoed Village Hall.

The project is a collaboration between Haulfre residents and Camau Bach, a playgroup operated by the Bro Seiriol Ministry Area, which is a group of Anglican churches in the Beaumaris area.

Together, the two groups will take part in three joint workshops at the care home, creating props, scenery and artwork for the trail.

The storytelling route is aimed at preschoolers but also welcomes older siblings, parents and carers.

During the event, everyone will start as caterpillars and "transform" into butterflies through music, movement, and song.

Dawn Hudson, deputy manager at Haulfre Care Home, said: "Our residents always look forward to interactive sessions and the chance to do something a little different, especially when it is supporting the wider community.

"We do our best to encourage these kinds of opportunities.

"They do not often have the chance to mix with other age groups, so they particularly enjoy spending time with the children in a safe and playful setting.

"Residents really enjoyed creating the artwork with our staff last week, and they threw themselves into the painting session with the children last weekend.

"We are all looking forward to being part of the Aberlleiniog Trail on 29 March, which is an established community event."

Beaumaris-based composer Ellen Davies has written the original music and choreography for the storytelling trail, which follows the journey of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.

Children will act out the story while residents will take part by assisting with props and joining in from their chairs and wheelchairs.

The trail is fully interactive, and some parents and carers from the toddler group will help read the story and manage large props, while the commissioned artist will lead the choreographed movement.

Another carer will play the music for the singing, which children and adults will perform together.

The Caterpillars and Butterflies Trail is part of the wider Aberlleiniog Sculpture Trail weekend on March 28 and 29, an event featuring more than 50 artworks, installations, performances, guided walks and community projects across the Aberlleiniog community woodlands, around Aberlleiniog Castle, along the springs and rivers, on Lleiniog beach and at Llangoed Village Hall.

The free annual event brings together local and national artists, naturalists, makers and volunteers alongside members of the local community.

Another session of the Caterpillars and Butterflies Trail will take place during the Llangoed Easter Saturday Community Fun Day at the village hall on April 4, 2026.

The project has been supported by the Sodexo Holyhead Community Micro Fund.

For more information, email wdatpyb1@gmail.com.