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The Easter bunnies have brought a gift of a slightly different sort to a Matlock care home this year, in the shape of a new children’s book written by residents and inspired by the rabbits which run wild in the grounds.

Residents at Darley Hall care home, on Park Lane, have produced the Bunnies of Darley over several months, working with visiting local artist Annie Howe.

Claire Betts, the home’s manager, said: “This is a huge achievement for my residents and I’m super, super proud of them. We’re a small residential care home for people with complex needs, various illnesses, disabilities and cognitive impairments. Almost all of them have been involved in some way. It was a real joint effort.

“It’s taken more than a year since it was started, and that really shows the determination involved. Some of residents can’t get out at all, so what we do internally is really important. We have to keep driving them forward, and art is one of the things that keeps them going.

Front row from left, Darley Hall residents Noreen Taylor, Audrey Booth and Audrey Know; back row, artist Annie Howe, second left, with care home staff Adam Hodgson, Kayliegh Jones and Claire Betts.

“To see their faces when the finished product was delivered, and copies were given to their families, was just amazing.”

The book combines a tale for young readers with newly compiled research on the history of the 19th century building, which has had many previous uses.

Claire said: “It’s a grade II listed building and while it was under renovation our residents started talking about its past.

“It was once a gentlemen’s club, but before it became a care home it was a maternity unity where some of the residents had their own children. It was their stories that triggered the project.”

The rabbits in the book are named after members of care home staff.

To create the narrative element of the book, residents created a cast of characters based on some of their friendly neighbours.

The story was developed by residents talking through their ideas, and then Annie created outline illustrations to be brought to life in watercolour paintings in her weekly activity sessions.

A trained multimedia artist and designer, Annie has a particular love for portraying the animals and birds of the Derbyshire countryside, and extensive experience in teaching which she has adapted for care settings in recent years as following her own mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Claire said: “We have a lot of wildlife in the grounds – like ducks, birds and moles – but they decided to base the characters on the rabbits which are always hopping around, and then named them after members of staff who shared those traits.

Illustrations from the book have been turned into a wall display at the home, alongside textile bunnies made by the residents in craft sessions.

“It was a small group who led the project, those who are more independent and able, but nobody was excluded. Everyone had their say, and it’s all in their own words.”

The home is now reaching out to local primary school libraries about stocking the book, and there are plans to keep the project going.

Claire said: “I’d love to take some residents into schools to read the book to children. They’ve already started on a sequel, this one’s about the naughty squirrels that live here. They just want to keep going through all the different animals.”

To learn more about Annie’s work and ‘art for wellbeing’ sessions, go to anniesartderbyshire.com.

For further information on life at the home, see ivonbrook.com/darley-hall.

Derbyshire care home residents write children's story book inspired by bunnies