Activities at Cheshire Grange Care Home

Some of our ladies had a very relaxing afternoon making lavender bags. This triggered a nursery rhyme sing a long initiated by one of the ladies who remembered the Lavenders Blue rhyme.

It was like embarking on a wonderful holiday trip over the course of this beach collage, residents from all communities were involved in the creation of this colourful masterpiece. We worked following the ethos that arts and crafts don’t necessarily require a finished item, the important aspect is the journey taken, making it a sensory experience, stimulating conversation and evoking memories.

 Residents on Memory Lane enjoyed the textures of the wool as they created the seaweed and nets with finger knitting, some of the gentleman helped with the whales and wrapping the star fish, other residents got quite messy whilst marbling some sheets for the sea, the beach was made with homemade paper which was dipped and painted and the activity was taken to the residents rooms where they coloured in beach huts and umbrellas.  

All the different components were then assembled over several afternoons over afternoon tea in the lounge, with some residents helping and others observing. An  amazing whole home project that was great fun and brought back lots of holiday memories.

We took a wonderful virtual trip to Iceland and visited the SEA LIFE Trust Beluga Whale Sanctuary to have an inside look into the daily care of their two resident beluga whales: Little White and Little Grey.

Our residents were introduced to the history of the Beluga Whale Sanctuary and learnt more about its mission to provide a more natural home for belugas in human care with a first-hand look at how the dedicated team are not only caring for the whales, but preparing for their future in the sea sanctuary!

It was an enjoyable event for everyone, learning more about the amazing beluga whales and how they are cared for at the sanctuary.

To mark World Photography Day, staff and residents were treated to a live streaming photography masterclass courtesy of top professional photographer, Damian Bailey.

A professional photographer since 2003, Damian has won Wedding Photographer of the Year and is listed as one of London’s top wedding photographers, having photographed over 700 weddings.  Damian travels all over the country shooting weddings, events and families and loves to help people create memories by capturing wonderful images that will be passed on from generation to generation.

Damian’s talk explained how he goes about capturing special moments and what makes a great photo in terms of technique and composition.  From landscapes to portrait photos, Damian shared his hints and tips for getting the best shots whatever the subject matter.

We celebrated International Youth Day virtually with English National Ballet’s youth dance company, ENBYouthCo and their Creative Director, Richard Bermange.

We had the opportunity to watch A Comedy in Long-shot, participate in a chair-based creative dance workshop and observe an open rehearsal where Richard and the young dancers created a performance inspired by our childhood memories.

It was a wonderful experience, enjoyed by all.

We had a lovely time joining V&A Dundee curator, Kirsty Hassard, as she introduced us virtually to the history and design of night clubs and the club culture from the 1960s to present day.

We explored the evolution and development of night clubs around the world, from Italy to America, and closer to home, looked at their importance as cultural venues and designed spaces.

This current exhibition celebrates night clubs at a very important moment, as we all look to a brighter future where everyone can come back together, to dance and to enjoy nights out once again.

We all enjoyed the virtual talk.