A Chorley care village is welcoming an intake of volunteers to support its dementia friendly Market Square.
The newly recruited volunteers will be leading and assisting with activities, as well as providing support in the purpose-built facilities at Buckshaw Retirement Village, which includes a pub, café, pet shop and hair salon, and a dementia friendly 20-seater cinema.
Husband and wife volunteers Peter and Patricia Baldwin will be helping with a range of new activities, including model building, group walks, women’s baking, knitting and flower arranging groups, which are part of a wider commitment to provide person centred activities, inclusive of all residents needs, as well as promoting the importance of physical and mental wellbeing.
Penni Brown, chief executive of the Hica Group, said: “It’s great to see members of the community offering their free time to support residents and their activities.
“Activities are hugely beneficial to our residents and play a big part in supporting their physical and mental wellbeing so it’s fantastic to see people wanting to support that.
“It’s also a brilliant opportunity for the volunteers to see for themselves, the amazing facilities within Market Square which help our residents keep a level of independence.”
Chris Durnan, Market Square coordinator at The Lodge said: “It is brilliant to see that members of the community are so enthusiastic to volunteer with us in their spare time. We are extremely grateful that members of the community are willing to help us. Their support, in general, and with activities is invaluable to us and to our residents.
“Fun and engaging activities are really important to our residents. They are all looking forward to taking part in a range of new activities, and I’m looking forward to seeing the positive impact that our new volunteers have on our residents.”
Buckshaw is part of The Hica Group, a not for profit organisation, which operates a portfolio of 15 residential care homes, five of which are for people with a learning disability, along with two retirement villages. The company also runs a care at home service providing approximately 11,500 hours of support and care from four regional offices in the North of England.
