CARING students have been working alongside elderly residents to help suggest a new place name for them to call home.

Darlington College health and social care students helped residents at North Park Care Centre, in Darlington, draw up a shortlist of names to give a new identity to the care home’s middle floor.

Level 2 diploma students Brittany Adamson, 16, and Amelia Parker, 17, and BTEC level 3 students Shannon Hunter, 18, and Shannon Nuttall, 18, chatted with residents to find out their favourite places, songs, colours, flowers, books, films and hobbies to come up with a list of words with which to create a selection of place names.

The proposed new identity for the second floor unit, which is currently home to 21 residents, will be voted on at the next residents and relatives meeting at the end of the month.

Care home manager Mark Culley said: “Our residents and their relatives were very keen that the current middle floor unit was given a proper name to make it sound more homely and less clinical.

“The top floor, which was opened by former MP for Darlington Alan Milburn, is known as High Row so we asked the students, who are on placement here from Darlington College, to work with our residents to come up with some suggestions.

“The girls have been wonderful at communicating with our residents, finding out their ideas and gathering all the information together to come up with some great name suggestions.”

Residents, staff and students at the care home are hoping that the newly named unit will be opened by the Mayor and Mayoress of Darlington at an official plaque unveiling later in the year.