Remembering VJ Day at Skelmersdale care home
MEMORIES of WW2 were shared at a Skelmersdale care home, Aaron Crest Care Home, to commemorate VJ Day – the end of the war with Japan in August 1945. Aaron Crest Care Home, on Tanhouse Road, hosted members of the Skelmersdale Veterans Association (SVA) as part of the event. They spoke with residents and shared memorabilia including gasmasks, uniforms, helmets, aircraft models and more. The group reminisced about growing up during and after the war, talking about the impact it had on family life. Resident Stanley Joel, a veteran of the Merchant Navy, rose to his feet and saluted when he saw the SVA members in uniform. He said: “I was so happy to talk to them about my memories.” Adrienne Ratcliffe, home manager at Aaron Crest Care Home, said: “We wanted to commemorate VJ Day as many of our residents have memories from that time. “It marked the end of a long and gruelling war but families continued to struggle for a long time afterwards, rebuilding their lives in the aftermath. The day was a huge success, with everyone asking about the items the SVA brought, sparking reminiscences from their younger days. The SVA have agreed to come back and bring along other items our residents asked about, so we’re already looking forward to seeing them again.” For more information about Aaron Crest Care Home please visit https://www.hillcare.net/
Care home spices up life for jody
A Strood man with learning disabilities is discovering how much more satisfying life can be when you try out new experiences thanks to Orchard View. For Jody Williams who lives at Orchard View, a Kent residential service run by the Regard Group, his learning disability has tended to make him unwilling to try any activities he wasn’t already familiar with. Yet this year, bolstered by encouragement from the Orchard View team, Jody has surpassed all expectations by experimenting with new hobbies and travelling to Australia to be best man at his brother Jamie’s wedding. Jody said: “My sister went with me and it made me proud to be an important part of the wedding.” John Henderson, service manager at Orchard View, said: “Jody has made terrific progress after a difficult couple of years following the death of his mother. We could tell the bereavement was affecting Jody badly – he was becoming depressed and reclusive, so we supported him to attend regular sessions with a psychiatrist, and this has benefitted him a lot.” Jody’s key worker, John Patterson, has worked closely with him for the past nine years. The two have long enjoyed regular games of golf and now – with Jody’s agreement – are gradually adding other activities to his schedule. Recent additions include a fortnightly model railway club at Chatham Dockyard and a flying club for model planes in Sittingbourne. Jody is already an active contributor in the kitchen at Orchard View, helping choose, prep and cook meals for his eight housemates every week, having been supported to learn the basic skills at Rochester College over the past four years. Jody has also decided he would like to do a Skills For Work course, so John has supported him to enroll on course which starts in September. John Henderson said: “Perseverance on the part of his key support worker has led to a deep level of understanding between the two men, with the result that Jody is now embracing several new activities and getting much more out of life. There has also been a much lower incidence of Jody demonstrating behaviours that challenge, and John must take a lot of the credit for this. They have an excellent relationship and Jody is confident about opening up to him if he has any issues.” Regard, which runs Orchard View and supports people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and acquired brain injuries nationwide, is a leading advocate for improving people’s life chances by developing their personal skills and broadening their horizons. The group is the UK’s third largest private care-provider, caring for more than 1,300 people, with a dedicated staff of over 2,600 people on 161 specialist residential services, supported living services, outreach support and day resource centres across the UK. Further information about Orchard View please visit www.regard.co.uk or call 0800 840 0313.
10-mile sponsored walk helps pay for care home seaside trip
CARE home staff, Springbank House Care Home, raised hundreds of pounds to treat their residents to a trip to the seaside after completing a 10-mile sponsored walk. Workers at Springbank House Care Home, in Chesterfield, took on the challenge so they could take those in their care to Cleethorpes. The collected over £500 in sponsorship, which will help towards transportation costs for the outing. Karen Busby, home manager at Springbank House Care Home, on Ashgate Road, said: “The team at Springbank never cease to amaze me. While I was on annual leave, they got together and did a sponsored walk for our residents’ fund, Springbank All Stars. “ “The going out for the day is the easy part but, unfortunately, the cost of transport is high, so the team work hard with ideas for fundraising to compensate this. Well done to all who completed the 10-mile walk, especially in the recent heatwave. All at Springbank would like to say a big thank you to all those who supported them and sponsored them to achieve this goal.” Photo captions: The Springbank House Care Home team completed a 10-mile sponsored walk to raise funds to take their residents to Cleethorpes. Springbank House Care Home are part of the Hill Care Group. For further information visit www.hillcare.net. For all media enquiries please contact Sam Schofield on 07895 127353 or email sam@schofieldcomms.co.uk.
Fire Brigade attend care home summer fayre
FIRE safety was the talk of the fayre at a Middlesbrough care home, The Gables Care Home. Cleveland Fire Brigade attended the annual summer celebration at The Gables Care Home, on Highfield Road. They spoke with visitors, residents, staff and children about fire safety as part of their community programme. There was also a raffle, tombola, bric-a-brac stalls selling jewellery, handmade crafts, hair accessories, decorative handmade flowers, cakes and baked goods, as well as a BBQ and refreshments. LGBT charity Hart Gables had an information stand at the event and The Gables’ home manager got a sponsored soaking with wet sponges thrown by donators. They raised £197 on the day for the residents’ fund, which contributes to outings for the home’s residents. Kate Charlton, home manager at The Gables Care Home, said: “The annual summer fayre is always a highlight of the year for residents, their families and staff. We had a great turnout again this year and raised an amazing amount for the residents’ fund. We’d like to thank everyone who donated as well as the Cleveland Fire Brigade for attending and discussing fire safety. We’re also grateful to Hart Gables for their continued support of the home, the stall vendors for their contributions and everyone else who helped out on the day.” For more information about The Gables Care Home please click here
Special celebration for golden couple Guy and Christine
A SURPRISE golden wedding anniversary celebration was thrown by Teesside care home staff for a resident and his wife. Staff at Ingleby Care Home arranged a three-course lunch, flowers, balloons and cards for Guy and Christine Ledgard, who have been married since August 1968. Guy, who has been at the home since July 2018, is visited by his wife daily but on their anniversary they were treated to the special celebration. They were ushered through to a specially decorated dining room, where they were served potato soup followed by stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon with fresh vegetable medley and garlic roast potatoes and concluded with chocolate fudge cake with ice cream, all accompanied with non-alcoholic wine. They were also presented with a specially made anniversary cake congratulating them on their milestone. Christine said: “I was very sad this morning but then I got to Ingleby and they surprised us with cards and flowers and a lovely meal to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. It was wonderful and I can’t thank everyone enough for caring about us.” Christine and Guy first met at Tito’s nightclub, formerly on Brunswick Street, in the late 60s. Guy was home on leave from the Navy and out celebrating his brother’s stag do when he caught Christine’s eye and they exchanged a wink at each other. They got talking and Christine mentioned she worked at a chemist. The following day, Guy had forgotten which and went into every chemists’ shop in Stockton and Norton looking for her. “It was love at first sight,” said Christine. While serving in the Navy and posted in Harrogate, Guy would regularly hitch hike to Stockton to spent time with Christine. They now have three children and two grandchildren. Carol Singleton, home manager at Ingleby Care Home, on Lamb Lane, Ingleby Barwick, said: “When we heard Guy and Christine were about to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary we decided to surprise them with a special celebration. There was not a dry eye in the house after Christine thanked the staff for the meal and gifts. It was the least we could do for such a lovely couple.” For more information about this golden wedding anniversary please visit www.hillcare.net
Oxford’s Newland House Celebrates a ‘Good’ CQC Rating
Newland House in Witney, part of the Hartford Care family, has proudly received an overall ‘Good’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The residents, family carers and staff team at Newland House along with the Hartford Care family, are delighted with the outcome. During the inspection held in June, the impressive 28-bed family home, registered to care for older people and those living with dementia, was awarded 5 ‘Good’ stars and highly praised in all areas including safe, caring, effective, responsive and well-led. The CQC report said: “The caring approach was demonstrated by the staff throughout the day of our inspection. People told us staff were kind and supportive. Comments included, “they are kind and caring” and “The staff are quite good, they try to help and are kind”. One relative said “I think [person] is extremely looked after here, [staff] always consider ‘person’s] needs. Staff are absolutely brilliant. It’s a homely feel. The warmth is coming across strongly here”. People told us that they felt safe. One person said, ‘I feel safe. I have no fears or anxieties about anything”. One relative said, ‘I feel [person] is safe here’. People and relatives complimented the service and told us the service was run well. Comments included, “Very approachable, I think the fact I don’t visit often shows I am comfortable with care [person] is getting there” “They are quite prepared to listen. I haven’t had any problems, but I get the feeling you can talk to staff and get support”. The feedback received from external professionals was very positive and included comments such as, “Open, transparent [culture]. Residents seem happy, staff are happy, things are ‘safe”…”Care and nursing homes generally feel under-resourced and under-staffed and yet Newland House has never felt this way to me. I would choose this home as ‘my’ care home if I had to choose within our immediate locality. “ The exceptional care provided is underpinned by the core values of care, comfort and companionship, the ethos of the Hartford Care family. The welcoming and comfortable home is proudly led by our fully-trained, compassionate and caring team, who strive to make a positive difference to the quality of life for those who call Newland House home. CEO of Hartford Care Sean Gavin commented: “Congratulations to Chris and the team at Newland House for this terrific outcome. I know the team have worked tirelessly to ensure the quality of care is consistently maintained and they should be proud of this achievement.” Registered Manager Chris Stimpson added: “I am absolutely delighted with the outcome of our most recent inspection and I’m so proud of all the hard work from my team, to help us achieve this rating. Providing care to our residents is a rewarding job and it is great to have our excellent care acknowledged by an inspecting body such as the CQC. This ‘Good’ rating in all key areas provides proof that we are successfully meeting the needs of our residents and helping them to live an enriched and fulfilling life. Originally home to three generations of blanket industrialists, the prominent ‘Early’ family, Newland House also provides Day Care services to encourage individuals to explore new hobbies & interests and enjoy a delicious dining experience with freshly prepared meals. For more information about the CQC please click here
Prince Charles Congratulates Busy Bees on Queen’s Award Win
Busy Bees, the UK’s leading provider of childcare, joined recipients of the prestigious Queen’s Awards at a special royal reception at Buckingham Palace where they were congratulated by Prince Charles. Busy Bees received the Queen’s award for Enterprise: Promoting Opportunity in April this year and is the only early years provider to receive the accolade. Karen Mackay, Head of External Affairs at Busy Bees and Fay Gibbin, CEO of BB Training Academy, met Prince Charles at the reception to receive congratulations for its Queen’s award win. The first Busy Bees nursery was opened in Lichfield in 1984 by six teachers who wanted to make a difference in the early years sector after feeling frustrated with the lack of good quality, flexible care available for their own children. It now cares for 50,000 children across nearly 500 settings in the UK, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Australia. To maintain the quality of its staff amid such growth, Busy Bees’ sister company BB Training Academy delivers management qualifications, apprenticeships and short courses to the nurseries, as well as external settings. BB Training Academy, which is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, has worked with Busy Bees to provide accessible routes to employment and career progression, upskilling 3,765 members of staff to date. Karen said: “We were honoured to be personally congratulated by Prince Charles, and we were delighted that he took the time to individually greet each award winner. Fay and I both thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet other British businesses excelling in their field. My favourite part of the evening was when Prince Charles said to me ‘I don’t know how you look after 50,000 children; I only just manage to cope looking after three grandchildren’.” For further information about Busy Bees, please contact Rebecca Cousins at Papillon PR on 07539 351 320 or email rebecca@papillonpr.co.uk.
Singing for elderly veterans in wounded soldiers’ show
ELDERLY ex-servicemen and women living in care homes across Teesside were represented at a show, This Is Not For You Show, to honour the survivors of war. This Is Not For You took place at the Stockton International Riverside Festival, performed by veterans and backed by a forty-strong choir of local singers. The show tells the story of wounded soldiers who returned from WW1 and were treated with less respect and honour than those who died. A member of the show choir, Julie Walker took part as a tribute to the veterans living in care homes where she works, as well as in memory of her grandfather, John Godwin. As customers relations officer for the Hill Care Group, Julie works at Ingleby Care Home, Mandale House Care Home, and The Beeches Care Home, all in the Stockton area. She said: “I wanted to take part as a tribute to my grandad who fought in WW1 and for the ex-servicemen and women who live in our care homes. I feel that society often forgets the courage and sacrifice of previous generations. Armistice Day may remember the fallen but forgets the ones who survived and had to find a way to carry on.” This Is Not For You is performed by members of Blesma, the limbless veterans’ charity, who have all been inured while on duty in the Falklands, Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, among other conflicts. They returned from their tours with lost limbs and sight, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other injuries. The performers are backed by local singing groups and choirs, including The Latte Singers, who regularly sing in Stockton music venue Whole Latte Love. Julie, a member of The Latte Singers, said: “We all had to take a crash course in reading music – most of us couldn’t – but the fabulous musical director Andrea Brown brought out the best in all of us. Taking part was a humbling experience, watching the veterans – both men and women – acting and singing irrespective of their injuries was inspirational. My fellow singers felt that we had been privileged to have the opportunity to take part. And to represent Stockton while opening Stockton International Riverside Festival. The play was premiered at The Dockland Festival earlier in the year but from what the veterans told us they were astonished by the rapturous welcome they received from the people of Stockton.” For more Information about The This Is Not For You Show please visit www.tinfy.org
Care home given £30,000 to help residents with dementia
A HARTLEPOOL care home, Queens Meadow Care Home, has been allocated almost £30,000 to carry out improvements for residents with dementia. Queens Meadow Care Home was awarded the funding from the Improved Better Care Fund (iBCF), allocated by Hartlepool Borough Council. As agreed in the home’s original proposal, the money will be spent on enhancing the care home to benefit residents, as well as creating a more dementia friendly environment. The home, on Stockton Road, received a total of £29,776. Interior work and garden renovations have already been carried out and there are plans to create a 60s style café – as well as install a shed and greenhouse for green-fingered residents. Julie Armstrong, home manager at Queens Meadow Care Home, on Stockton Road, said: “We are absolutely delighted that our plan for the capital funding was approved. It will enable us to enhance our care home for the benefit of all residents – especially those living with dementia. Familiar sights, places, music and pastimes that residents remember from their younger days can have huge benefits – helping to reduce anxiety, increase sociability and overall wellbeing.” The iBCF was first announced in the 2015 Spending Review, and is paid as a direct grant to local government, with a condition that it is pooled into the local Better Care Fund (BCF) plan. The iBCF can be spent on three purposes: Councillor Stephen Thomas, Chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Adult Services Committee, said: “I’m delighted we were able to allocate £30,000 to help all residents at Queens Meadow Care Home and in particular those living with dementia. I’m really looking forward to seeing the 60s style café and the further improvements to the gardens. The Improved Better Care Fund provides a great way for us to help meet adult social care needs in Hartlepool.” For more information about Queens Meadow Care Home please visit www.hillcare.net
