Schoolchildren lent a helping hand to their new neighbours by taking part in a competition to name one of the suites at a 60-bed care home.

Pupils from Bentfield Primary School in Stansted Mountfitchet were asked to come up with ideas ahead of the official opening of Care UK’s Mountfitchet House this October.

Jessica Penny, nine, scooped top prize for coming up with the winning entry – ‘Gernon Suite’, inspired by Robert Gernon who arrived from France with his relation William The Conqueror and built Mountfitchet Castle.

She was presented with book tokens by the care home’s team.

Home manager, Allison Squires, said: “As we gear up to welcome our first residents to Mountfitchet House in October, the all-important naming of the suites within the care home is becoming a priority, and we thought this was presented an excellent opportunity to work with Bentfield Primary School and to get to know our neighbours a little better.

“The competition entries were all of a very high quality and it was difficult to choose just one, but Gernon Suite stood out and Jessica was a worthy winner.”

As a gesture of thanks to the school for taking part in the suite naming competition, Care UK also took the opportunity to announce they would be donating £500 towards the school’s new library project.

Headteacher, David Rodgers, said: “The suite naming competition not only gave the pupils an excellent opportunity to learn all about the new care home here in Stansted Mountfitchet, but it also encouraged them to think about the history and geography of their local area when seeking out inspiration for their entries.

“We are also very grateful for the donation towards our library project which has given our fundraising efforts a very welcome boost.”

Mountfitchet House is a purpose-built care home which will provide a range of care services for older people, including residential, nursing and specialist dementia care, as well as short term respite, palliative, and sensitive end of life care.