Activities at Hickathrift House Care Home

An Administrator at Hickathrift House in Marshland St James has received a prestigious 30-Year Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare.

Tracey Hills started at Barchester in June 1993 and has worked with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years. Tracey joined Hickathrift House at the age of 15 and started as a care assistant. Within the space of 6 years, Tracey quickly rose to senior carer and then Deputy Manager by 1999. For the past 16 years, Tracey has worked in the administration team with her colleague Kanita.

It was our genuine pleasure to celebrate all the wonderful men at Hickathrift House on Sunday. We organised several lovely video calls in the morning and evening for those further away. At lunchtime, families joined their fathers for a scrumptious Sunday Roast made by our talented Hospitality Team. In the afternoon we were joined by the fantastic KJ & The Catt who helped made our male residents feel extra special today.
Barrie said, "It's been such a great day with my daughters and wife. The whole team has made it so special".
A huge thank you to the entire team for making today incredible and to the fabulous family members for getting involved in our celebration.

Residents received a very special visit from two beautiful horses, Percy, the Suffolk Punch and Major, the Shire horse. Both were from the lovely Weydike Heavy Horses. Residents thoroughly enjoyed learning about these stunning animals, feeding and stroking them. It sparked exciting memories and conversations throughout the day. 

Richard said, "Oh they remind me of my lovely racing horse. He was grey, blue in colour and was a winner".

All our animal visits aim to evoke emotional connections from the residents along with love, joy and laughter. The visits also provide physical, mental and emotional healing.

World ocean day is a day to raise awareness about ending overfishing and protecting our oceans. Several residents had a spectacular time at the Sea Life Hunstanton and strolled along the Hunstanton promenade. This incredible trip helped increase our understanding and knowledge about how we can help ocean life.

Joan said, "What a beautiful place full of vibrant colour and so much information. It's truly inspired me".

We're looking forward to putting what we've learnt into practice at Hickathrift House.

Across our services we had a lovely time joining Rhiannon Watkinson from the RAF Museum London for an interactive talk exploring the exciting and innovative aviation history of Hendon.

Our residents were able to learn about the first flights from the fields at Hendon, the creation of the London Aerodrome and Battle of Britain pilots who flew from RAF Hendon.

The talk also included photographic and film material from the Museum’s archive. Residents across our homes had a fantastic time and we truly enjoyed the virtual experience.

Hickathrift House Care Home staff in Marshland St James organised a community bingo night to raise money for outings, entertainment and special events.

The money raised is for the home's life-enrichment programme, it includes the ‘post a wish’ initiative where residents write down ‘wishes’ they’d like to have granted, from listening to a harpist for the afternoon to a trip to Hunstanton for the day.

The bingo night took place at Walsoken Village Hall and saw the entire community attend in the hundreds. Donations were provided by residents, their families and staff from Hickathrift House as well as several great local businesses. Local businesses that provided spectacular prizes, include Blended Monkey Craft, Sea Life Centre Hunstanton, Play 2 Day Wisbech, the Majestic Cinema King’s Lynn and Paragon Motor Company.