Activities at Hickathrift House Care Home

Across our services Residents had a wonderful time participating in an interactive virtual talk with Pippa Catterall, Professor of History and Policy at the University of Westminster, where we delved into the rich history of coronations.

During the talk, we explored fascinating topics such as the coronation chair, the crown, and other significant aspects related to King Charles' upcoming coronation. Our residents were thrilled to have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the memoirs of past coronations from 1937 and 1953, as well as learning about the coronation oath and what to expect from the ceremony, including the music, guests, and pageantry.

Residents thoroughly enjoyed attending the King's Lynn Corn Exchange to watch the Norfolk Country Youth Orchestra perform. The evening was filled with delight while listening to these talented children and the world premiere of Alex Rudd's composition. It sparked lovely memories of visiting other concert halls and conversations about famous composers and orchestra performances.

Dorothy said, "They played so lovely. They're all very talented and should be proud of tonight. It's been wonderful having an evening out with friends again".

We're all looking forward to seeing them perform again in the future.

We had two lovely groups of people from the Midlands Leg and Kettering Leg join us this morning on their Easter pilgrimage. They were walking for 5 days before resting at Hickathrift House and on Good Friday they finally completed their journey at Walsingham Abbey.

Residents enjoyed buttering the hot cross buns and welcoming the groups inside for a nice warm drink and Easter treat. Everyone was chatting away about their journey and upcoming Easter celebrations as well as singing a few hymns as a group.

We wished the groups safe travels for the rest of their journey and a thank you for stopping by for the delightful conversations.

We'd like to wish everyone a Happy Easter Sunday from our home to yours. Residents, their loved ones and staff had a wonderful day together.

We started off by visiting the local Methodist Church for their moving Easter service and donated the beautiful flower arrangements residents made on Saturday. Residents had a scrumptious Easter lunch with themed Easter dining decor. In the afternoon we were joined by the incredible Kj & the Catt for our Easter Party! The beautiful singing and dancing was loved by all.

The Hunstanton Soapbox Derby returned with a whole range of themed go-karts for its 70th anniversary on the 2nd of April.

An unlikely entry was the ‘Hickathrift Racer’ a caravan-shaped kart, submitted by Hickathrift House care home. All month excitement has been building at Barchester’s Hickathrift House care home in Wisbech as staff and residents have been busy decorating with hand prints and went on a day trip in the home’s minibus to watch their kart race in the Hunstanton Soap Box Derby.

Activities Lead, Kat Colangelo, explained, “The reason why we selected decorative leaves using painted handprints is that the Barchester Healthcare logo is a leaf and residents wanted to not only symbolise our home but residents and staff around the country. Everyone’s been involved in this project from decorating to getting sponsorship. The residents were thrilled when we were done and loved watching it fly down the course.”

Excitement was building at Barchester’s Hickathrift House care home in Wisbech as staff and residents went on a day trip in the home’s minibus to visit Fenland Family & Baby Bank.

Rachel Green, the owner of Fenland Family & Baby Bank, had previously worked at Hickathrift House Care Home in 1994, primarily in the dementia care community. Rachel said, “I loved working at Hickathrift House and I am so glad I can continue to support residents in living a life full of happiness and support”.

Planned by the home’s Activities Coordinator Kat Colangelo, staff and residents from the Memory Lane community at Hickathrift House which is especially designed for residents living with dementia, went to Fenland Family & Baby Bank to spark memories of motherhood and select new sensory items for the homes parenthood sensory area. The residents were able to pick their favourite items, reminisce about their own children and grandchild and share stories with staff.