Activities at Hickathrift House Care Home

We celebrated World Milk Day by tasting some delicious plant based Milkshakes and Iced Coffees. 

We all loved trying the varieties and learning some fun milk facts. While sipping on the drinks we reminisced about when the milk used to be delivered and every street in the UK had a bottle waiting. We all had different foil tops, green, blue or even gold, the cream line would be visible and there may already have been holes in the foil from a cheeky bird getting a milky refreshment. 

This celebration is an international day that celebrates plant-based alternatives to dairy Milk. From Soy to Oat to Cashew to Hemp: the diversity of vegan milks continues to grow and residents loved hearing all the different types now available. 

This week's outing was to the fabulous Fenland Aviation Museum! It was incredibly interesting, interactive and the staff were ever so informative. They answered every question we had and went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed.

All the residents had a fantastic afternoon swapping stories and viewing all the pieces in the museum. One resident shared his incredible knowledge of the WW2 squads in Wisbech and Kings Lynn and Richard told stories of his dad who was a pilot. We compared the plane engines to car engines with a resident who is classic car enthusiast and joked about who should try to fit in the aircraft. Thankfully one of the fabulous volunteers took one for the team and gave us all a giggle. Bob, who's currently joined us for respite, joked around with the other gentlemen and had us all laughing about the ejection seat.

We were delighted to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India's independence at Hickathrift House with several wonderful activities and musical entertainment from KJ & The Catt!

To start the day off, our Arts & Crafts Club took part in some mindful colouring of Rangoli patterns and learnt about its importance. Elsie thoroughly enjoyed learning about Rangoli from the visiting children and Helen reminisced about her fabulous trip to India.

In the afternoon residents were joined by the fabulous KJ & The Catt for a Bollywood themed party! Residents clapped, sang and danced in the afternoon sunshine together. They all enjoyed wearing and seeing the bright beads and outfits. Norman sang songs that brought tears to our eyes and later shared stories of when he sang and danced with his wife.

It was a delightful day everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and all the celebrations.

Staff at Hickathrift House Care Home organised a community Bingo night to raise money for the home's Life Enrichment Program. 

The Life Enrichment Program includes outings, entertainment and special events for residents - it also 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 Emneth Central Hall and saw the entire community attend in the hundreds. 

Donations were provided by residents, their families and staff from Hickathrift House. Local businesses such as Able Taxis, Alive West Norfolk Corn Exchange and KJ Entertainments also donated incredible prizes to support the night. Local entertainment company, KJ Entertainments, donated their services by hosting the Bingo. Staff from Hickathrift House Care Home came out in force and volunteered throughout the night. Care Assistants - Julie, Marie and Peggy, set up the evening and were fabulous front-of-house hosts, Head Chef Nigel made baps and teas, and Donna, Head of Community, helped residents attend the event too!

Betty - a resident of Hickathrift House said, “What a marvellous night. It was ever so lovely to see so many people come to the Bingo and I know we all had a wonderful time meeting people, playing Bingo and laughing away at the entertainment”. 

Kat Colangelo, Activities Lead at Hickathrift House Care Home, said: “Taking part in the Bingo fundraiser has been a huge amount of fun and everyone at the home and community has been behind us all the way. It’s for such an important cause, helping to make magical moments for every resident. I’m delighted to be able to do my bit to raise funds for the residents.”

Paula Colman, General Manager at Hickathrift House Care Home, said, “This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the local community, local businesses and the team at Hickathrift House. Thank you all ever so much for getting involved. I’d also like to thank all the residents and their families for their ongoing support with raffle tickets and donations.”

Hickathrift House Care Home raised a grand total of £1,914.60 on the Bingo evening - which will be donated to the home's Life Enrichment Program.

Staff, residents, relatives, volunteers and the local community came together at Hickathrift House Care Home to enjoy a community summer BBQ that was held on the home’s beautiful terrace.

Hickathrift House’s talented Head Chef, Nigel Coleman, served a fantastic display of the finest BBQ food, including Burgers, Hot Dogs, Vegetable Kebabs, and our residents’ favourite - BBQ Chicken! Which were all enjoyed by everyone who came to the event. Afterwards, an array of scrumptious Desserts from Baked Spiced Apple and Cream to Strawberry Mousse finished the BBQ 

Guests included friends and family of the residents and staff at the home and local neighbours also stopped in at the event. 

As the sun shone down music played in the background mixing with the laughter and chatter. Children and residents joined in a mixture of garden games including Swing Ball and Beanbag Toss. 

Resident Ambassador, Barrie, said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the day surrounded by lots of great people. Thankfully the weather kept shining all afternoon. Staff did a great job, not just on the day, but organising the event and getting everyone together.”

Paula Colman, General Manager at the home, said: “Staff at Hickathrift House are dedicated to making magical moments for residents and their loved ones, and this event, along with all their hard work, has definitely paid off. It was a resounding success!”
 

Last week we had a fabulous morning out at Peckover House & Gardens of the National Trust.

We took a stroll around the grounds - smelling the beautifully bloomed Flowers and admiring the Fruits and vegetables. Of course, we paused at the Cafe for a lovely cup of Tea in the sunshine and took part in a mindful discussion about what we saw and felt. 

It was a wonderful trip thoroughly enjoyed by all. Norah - one of our residents who is 100-years old enjoyed looking up at the Trees blowing in the wind and feeling the plumpness of the Fruit too!