Activities at South Chowdene Care Home

What a lovely and fun afternoon we had, learning about different types of tea, where they come from and how popular different teas are in various places.

We also learnt how different teas are made and how important tea ceremonies are in different cultures. The time spent preparing and pouring tea in some places is quite astounding as is the fact that people have to be properly trained in the art of pouring a cup of tea!

All that was thirsty work so we had a good old cup of tea with biscuits as we played ‘Tea bingo’.

It was all dragons and roses all round at South Chowdene Care Home care home, in Low Fell, as residents and staff celebrated St George’s Day.  Legend has it St George was a soldier in the Roman army who slayed a dragon and saved a princess, the anniversary of his death is celebrated as England’s national day.

In honour of the patron saint of England, staff and residents at the home marked the day with a St. George factfile followed by a quiz. Vidoes of Morris dancing were watched on You Tube and one of our favourite entertainers took us through many of our most loved English songs by English artists during the afternoon. Giving the celebrations a gourmet twist, Lynne our fantastic head chef at the home South Chowdene Care Home prepared traditional fish and chips.

We received 5 eggs on the morning of the 2nd April and by that evening we had one duckling in the incubator. By the next morning there were another 2 and all 5 were with us and in the main cage by the evening. All ducklings were feeding and drinking well and were happy cuddling up in each others’ company.

We were amazed as to how fast they grew and each had its own personality. Their first encounter with water was a sight to behold and we learnt to stand well back as they got in the bowl and splashed around. Over the time we looked after them, we had lots of young visitors to meet them who were as keen as we were to learn all about them and give them a cuddle.

Residents enjoyed a relaxing evening with a glass of their favourite tipple, delicious popcorn and watching the iconic movie ‘Calamity Jane’ to celebrate what would have been Doris Day’s 102nd birthday. There was a lot of reminiscence around Doris herself and her all encompassing career as well as the role model she was seen as. Many dances and afternoons at ‘the flicks’ were recalled and there was a lot of discussion about how popcorn has always been a must at the pictures but also how it has changed over the years.

It was a wonderful way to spend an evening!

Residents and staff  dressed to impress, donned their best hats and outfits, studied the form and had their bets at the ready for the 2024 Grand National, which ran on Saturday April 13. Residents and staff got together to watch the races, and celebrated in style by having a glass of fizz and afternoon tea and choosing a horse to back whilst wearing fancy hats (all their own creations).

Julie Baron, General Manager  said: “We’ve had a fantastic time celebrating The Grand National, it is such a great event to watch and we all had fun cheering on the horses and jockeys.  We all had a little flutter between ourselves even though none of us has much of a clue about odds or form!”

Residents across our homes and hospitals had a fantastic time with vocal coach Dan Cooper from Biiah as he led an amazing sing-a-long session for residents to enjoy. Residents who joined the event were able to learn different techniques as they sang the famous ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ by Jimmy Cliff and ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles. Across our homes there were smiles and laugher all around. The session was such a success and was great for the mind, body and soul.