A YOUNG maths student has struck up an unusual friendship with a 94-year-old care home resident.

Christie Wettasinghe, 11, has become good pals with Bupa Colonia Court care home resident, Thora Bennett, in Colchester.

Having always loved maths, Christie regularly visits the home where he and Thora set each other maths questions, of which residents at the home find entertaining to discuss.

Thora’s love of maths stems from her fascination with numbers and figures.

Although she has not practised for years, Thora never turns down the challenge of a maths quiz.

Despite the age gap between the two, Thora, 94, believes numbers can always bring people together.

She said: “Although times have very much changed since I was a young girl, maths never changes and is something that anyone can understand, at any age.”

“It only takes something in common to stem new friendships, which is why I like to ask the younger generations who visit the home if they like maths. "Having won several maths challenges to date, it certainly proves I’ve still got it.”

The home, who are working to bridge the gap between generations, are also working with a group of young people from the National Citizens Service, who are completing their Citizenship Certificate.

As part of their community work, the young volunteers decided to raise money for the community by putting on an entertainment show for residents at the home.

The volunteers put on a series of dance performances, created a paint wall using residents' handprints and prepared afternoon tea for the home. Alongside the activity, residents also enjoyed a karaoke machine, virtual reality games and a stack of board games of which the young volunteers played with them.

General manager, Pauline Thornton, said: “What a fabulous day it turned out to be. We believe it’s extremely important to bring all generations in the community together through activities like this and are so proud of the hard work put in by the volunteers to make the day special for everyone.”