Activities at Lawton Manor Care Home

Coinciding with the birth date of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, International Nurses Day, held on Tuesday 12th May, is a day to celebrate nurses and care staff around the world. Residents and staff at Lawton Manor care home in Church Lawton, were happy to get involved by hosting a much deserved cake and tea to say thank you to our nurses.

Donna Ganaden, a nurse at Lawton Manor, said she was inspired by her mum, who was also a nurse, to join the profession. Cheryl Fish, Deputy Manager, said she loved being a nurse because she makes a difference.

Spirits were high at Lawton Manor, as staff organised a safe and upbeat ‘socially-distanced’ garden party to pay homage on VE Day. It is so encouraging to see that our residents remain positive, and were all so keen to join in for the afternoon tea in celebration. We are delighted that we can support our Residents by organising activities like this, to help raise a smile and provide light relief through this period, as part of our life enrichment programme.

Rebecca Whitehouse, General Manager at Lawton Manor said: “Many of our residents have very clear memories of the Second World War, and reminisced about their experiences, so it’s a privilege to remember and celebrate with them. We had a lovely day, and we are making sure extra effort is focused on creating an enjoyable environment for all of our residents, whilst ensuring that the group activities are smaller, adhering to social distancing advice.”

Due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 residents have been unable to go out, meaning they have been unable to socialise with the local community. However, our friends at Sally Anna’s Day Nursery provided the residents with messages showing how they are thinking of them and drew some beautiful artwork for our residents to admire and enjoy.

Some of residents hung the artwork up in their rooms, which reminded them that they are not alone in this difficult time of uncertainty. The artwork was all done in bright colours to lift our residents’ spirits up, and some of these special drawings have been placed on the piano in the retreat for all to enjoy.

We would like to say a big thank you to Sally Anna’s for giving joy to our residents, during a time of uncertainty. We look forward to welcoming them back to Lawton Manor in the future, to thank them for all that they have done. In the meantime, to show their appreciation for what they have done, our residents’ will be sending their own artwork to Sally Anna’s as a way of saying thank you.

One of our residents Lesley Warburton was disappointed to miss out on a safari to South Africa with friends she has gone on holiday with for the past few years.

To compromise for this, here at Lawton Manor we decided to provide Lesley with a day out to Knowsley Safari on March 9th, to see the wonderful animals on display at the park. Lesley gave a wave to the lions, giraffes, hippos and rhinos. She was joined on this day full on adventure with fellow resident and friend Sheelagh Last. They all had a fantastic time, where they not only had the opportunity to go on the safari, but also got to see the Sealions perform. Lesley and Sheelagh came back with souvenirs from their trip out, both of them have fond memories of the day excursion.

Lesley said: “Thank you so much for making my wish come true, I was disappointed to not be able to go to South Africa, but seeing the animals at Knowsley was brilliant, and to spend the day with my friend Sheelagh made the occasion extra special. Thank you, Lawton Manor.”

During the weekend commencing February 29th, residents, family and friends had the opportunity to enjoy an evening of entertainment at the Round Table annual variety show at Alsager’s Civic Centre. The evening of entertainment was showcased from Saturday 29th February to Sunday 1st March.

Lawton Manor has been visiting the Round Table’s variety show for the past 15 years, and this year was extra special for one of our residents Colin Burgees, who was the former Mayor of Congleton in 2007. This outing gave Colin the opportunity to attend with other dignitaries within the Cheshire East area. It was fantastic for Colin to catch up with old friends and colleagues, in particular retired MP Lady Ann Winterton.

Once again, the show put on by the Round Table was excellent and included a number of singers, dancers, comedians and performances by local organisations.

Here at Lawton Manor we make sure that our residents feel a part of the community they are in, and for this we make sure they attend a number of local events, as many who reside at the home are from the local area.

Celebrations have been in full swing at Lawton Manor, as one of our residents reaches her centenary in style.

Alice was joined by staff and other residents as she received a telegram from the Queen in recognition of her landmark birthday. A champagne reception was held at the home and guests enjoyed a special birthday cake made by our Head Chef, Carol Knowles. Alice was well known in the community as the ‘milk lady’, as she used to deliver milk in Alsager. She was still so active when she came into Lawton Manor, where she enjoying a new chapter of her life.