Activities at Crandon Springs Care Home

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Crandon Springs care home in Wells were treated to a photographic tour and talk about the era of ocean travel by V&A Dundee Curator, Charlotte Hale. The presentation forms part of a series of six talks and virtual tours that V&A Dundee is hosting for Barchester Healthcare’s care homes and private hospitals across the UK.

V&A Dundee is Scotland’s design museum, it showcases Scotland’s outstanding design achievements and features world-class exhibitions alongside the permanent Scottish Design Galleries, and a changing programme of commissions, events and activities.

Charlotte’s presentation took residents on a journey through V&A Dundee’s inaugural exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed and Style. Though the golden age of ocean travel has long since passed, the ocean liner still remains a potent symbol of 20th century modernity. The talk explored the romantic and remarkable age of ocean travel through the design stories of the Titanic, Normandie, the Queen Mary and the Canberra, from their engineering and interior design to the creation of an aspirational lifestyle and the stunning fashions worn on board.

“I am delighted to be able to share this exhibition with Barchester’s residents. The era of ocean travel is such an important slice of our history, the world will never see the like of these ships again. It is wonderful to be able to pass on the stories of how the ships were designed and what life was like on board,” Charlotte said.

Lucy Tomlinson, Resident Experience Manager for Barchester Healthcare, commented: ““We have been using technology to keep our residents and patients connected with their loved ones as well as offer virtual events, entertainment and activities throughout the pandemic. We are excited to work with our wonderful partners like V&A Dundee to bring a wide range of fantastic experiences into our homes for all to enjoy.

“Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active and socially connected, providing a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities,” Lucy added.

Today our residents hit the roads to enjoy the sunshine and a scenic drive! Our residents and colleagues all jumped on our Crandon Springs mini bus and enjoyed a visit to Cheddar Gorge. The mini bus tour was followed by some fun facts about the Gorge.

Here at Crandon Springs Care Home our life enrichment co-ordinators role is to ensure there is a variety of activities every single day. Our skilled Activities Coordinators bring a certain uniqueness to the home that can’t be found anywhere else, and which is reflected in the activities they organise.

Following on from our most recent mini bus trip to The Bishop's Palace our residents have been closely following the newest family of cygnets.

This weekend our residents have entered their nominations to name the cygnets as a part of the Bishop's Palace competition. Over a cup of tea a lengthy debate began!

The residents are proud to enter the following names as suggestions for the new cygnets in the City!

- Samantha

- Leon

- Suzie

- Simon

- Margaret (our Resident Margaret nomaited herself to be named after a cygnet!)

We look forward to watching the cygnets grow into beautiful animals and enjoy our local moat. Until our next trip to the Palace, our residents will enjoy the Swan Cam.

Thank you Bishop's Palace for allowing the local community to enter!

Crandon Springs recieved a delightful visit from Ella, the Community Champion at Tesco Wells Tesco this week. Ella very kindly donated a box of healthy snacks and also sweet treats for our residents here at Crandon Springs.

Our General Manager, Natalie Deverall said "It was lovely to meet Ella and her donation was so kind and well recieved! Our residents were extremely grateful. We look forward to working in partnership with Tesco, Wells in the future alongside the local community."

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Crandon Springs care home in Wells were treated to an armchair work out courtesy of the Green Goddess, Diana Moran, and Shackleton’s furniture company, followed by a mindfulness session led by Shackleton’s Emma Raybould.

Diana rose to fame as a glamorous fitness guru on BBC’s Breakfast Time in the 1980’s and has made an outstanding contribution to improving the health and wellbeing of people in the UK. She now brings that experience to Shackletons as their Health and Wellness Adviser.

Shackletons and Diana both celebrate the importance of exercise, a healthy diet and mindfulness, particularly in later living. Diana has been working with Shackletons since 2019 to promote their bespoke seating. She has produced a series of exercise videos extolling the virtues of gentle exercise in a Shackletons chair.

Diana says “Even if we spend more time sitting than walking, we can still maintain wellbeing at any age if we sit with the proper support, posture, correct height and balance in our chairs. Which is why Shackletons is the perfect company.”

Lucy Tomlinson, Resident Experience Manager for Barchester Healthcare, commented: “We have been using technology to keep our residents and patients connected with their loved ones as well as offer virtual events, entertainment and activities throughout the pandemic. We are excited to work with our amazing partners like Shackletons and Diana Moran to bring a wide range of fantastic experiences into our homes for all to enjoy.

Our residents at Crandon Springs Care Home hopped onto our brand new mini bus for our first ever day trip.

Although the weather was windy our residents were in high spirits. Together we went for a walk around Bishop's Palace on the hunt for Wells' newest cygnets!

Next week we have a driving tour of Cheddar Gorge!