Activities at Melbourn Springs Care Home

Melbourn Springs Manager, Karen Allen and her team were speaking to local villagers at the Melbourn Hub who came up with lots of ideas for naming our 5 home communities. The entries have been piling in and for your chance to get involved in our competition simply email our Home Services Advisor Dan Amis at daniel.amis@barchester.com with your suggestions and we will pop them in our suggestion box. All will be revealed soon!

Our Home Services Advisor Dan had the pleasure of meeting PCSO James Lynch this week at the Melbourn Community Hub. James plays a massive part in helping make neighbourhoods safer and tackles many different crime issues faced in the local community. Watch out for our safer neighbourhood and anti-scam awareness event alongside James and other organisations which will be happening at Melbourn Springs very soon! 

Dan joined the Royston Lions at the Royston Charity Kite Festival and Historic Vehicle show. The annual event orgainsed by the Royston Rotary Club is always extremely popular and all of the children who attended also had the chance to make and fly their own Kites - made exclusively at the Lions Kite Workshop! The Hook a Duck stall was also a huge success and Dan was also able to learn even more from Keith and Geoff about the amazing work carried out by the Lions - in particular the Message in a Bottle scheme.

The scheme is designed to encourage vulnerable people to keep their personal and medical details on a standard form and in a common location - the fridge. The bottle has a push-fit lid and is big enough to hold all the necessary information. In the event of the emergency services being called to your home they will be alerted to your membership of the scheme by two 'green cross' labels. One is fixed to the back of the door most used to access the premises, the second is attached to the door of the fridge! For more information about how to obtain your Message in a Bottle or about joining the Royston Lions please visit www.lionsclubs.org/en/start-our-approach/club-locator/details?id=56087 or simply email lionkgc@gmail.com

Our Home Services Dan joined volunteers from around the country to complete his Dementia Champion induction at the Alzheimer's Society Head Office in London. The day was hugely beneficial and all that attended found the session exceptionally helpful in supporting the growth of more dementia-friendly communities around the U.K.

Just by becoming a Dementia Friend all of us can help raise awareness and increase understanding, so that people living with dementia can continue to live the way they want.

Melbourn Springs will be working alongside other local businesses and support groups to enable the area to become even more dementia-friendly with lots more Dementia Friends among us. Keep an eye out for the next Dementia Friends session at Melbourn Springs - dates will be be released very soon! 

The Melbourn Hub held another hugely successful Community Showcase on a gloriously sunny July afternoon. There were various stalls of beautiful gifts, delicious honey and many local community groups were on hand too! The numerous activities brought the community together to share in the fun, raise money and enjoy the live performances from the home grown talent of Melbourn.

Cath Sharman from the Melbourn Timebank also spoke to our Home Services Advisor Dan about the amazing work that is going on in the village. Timebanking is a way for local people to come together and help each other by exchanging knowledge, help and skills. Everyone has something to offer a Timebank from making a cake, picking up a prescription, walking their dog, doing some gardening, visiting someone for a cup of tea, welcoming new residents to the village, whatever you do will make a difference to the person that needs your help.

You get an hour’s time credit which you can use to get something back. That may be help with your mobile/tablet, learning how to hem a skirt, someone picking up a loaf of bread, or gaining some new skills. Everyone’s time is equal, so one hour of my time is equal to one hour of your time, irrespective of whatever we choose to exchange. The exchanges can go on and on, as do the new friendships, connections and networks that are made. Members feel less isolated and more supported in their own community - what an amazing way to help and serve one another!

For more information about the Melbourn Timebank please contact Coordinator Cath Sharman on 01763 263303 Option 3 or email: timebank@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk

Melbourn Springs celebrated a major milestone with a recent topping out ceremony. The occasion marked the completion of the latest stage of the 75-bed care home as it enters the final months of construction before the grand opening in December.

Andy Williams, the Senior Property Development Manager at Barchester said, “The home is really coming together. The design will not only allow our operational colleagues to provide the best level of care for the residents who live there, but also ensure the residents are able to live dignified lives in surroundings that allow them to be as independent as they choose to be.”

McGoff Construction Manager Neil Wilkinson commented, “We were delighted to reach such a significant stage in the build process today. It was a pleasure to share the occasion with our project partners Barchester Healthcare. We look forward to handing over the Marketing Suite in September which will allow finished aspects of the care home to be showcased.”

Dan Amis, the Home Services Advisor at Melbourn Springs said, "The topping out ceremony brings us a step closer to the day we welcome residents. I would like to thank everyone locally for the warm welcome we have already received and look forward to extending our hospitality to the local community when our Marketing Suite opens soon. In the meantime, I am always available every Wednesday between 9am and 5pm at the Melbourn Hub to assist anyone who might have questions about care and Melbourn Springs.”