Activities at South Chowdene Care Home

On Saturday 8th March, Activity Coordinators from across the area got together at the Shipley Art Gallery to receive ‘Tyne and Derwent Way in a Box’ made by Tyne Derwent Way in a box is ‘An intergenerational project enabling creative young people to experience the Tyne Derwent Way as an immersive sensory experience and ten share those experiences with people who can’t experience the Way themselves.

Representatives from the group told us about how they went to the Derwent Walk and collected leaves, plants and flowers to dry and press in order to make up sensory mixes in a bag. There is also a shaker made using foraged materials for sound and the young people had also made vinyl coverings for the shakers in keeping with the theme of the box.

They used some interesting photographic techniques in order to produce leaf print backdrops and worked with scent specialists to create sprays of different scents which can be used on the dry matter bags.

 

Residents and staff celebrated all things Irish for St Patrick’s Day this week. The home was decorated with shamrocks and everyone dressed in green to mark the day.

Staff and residents at the home marked the day by making a Baileys Tiffin, listening to live fiddle music, playing Irish themed games and going on a virtual tour of Ireland. Chef Michelle prepared a fantastic Irish spread including Steak and Guinness Pie with Colcannon all washed down with Guinness or Baileys. 
 

Eva was joined by staff, relatives, friends and other residents as she celebrated her landmark birthday. An afternoon of Elvis with Mike Memphis was held at the home and guests enjoyed a special birthday cake made by the home’s chef, Lynne Parkin.  Eva was also interviewed by Affinity Radio – a first for her!  There is always something new to experience, even at 103!

Eva took an active part in the war and worked her way up the ladder to management at the factory where she worked. She loved going out in the car and riding around the beautiful English countryside with her husband and was lucky to travel the world with him through his job before coming to South Chowdene Care Home, where she is enjoying a new chapter of her life.
 

Book at bedtime’ was the theme of the day at South Chowdene where bookworm residents welcomed Year 5 from Larkspur Community Primary School to read to them and get involved in World Book Day.

Staff and residents at South Chowdene Care Home decided to have a Pyjama day and chatted about their memories of listening to books at bedtime themselves. Each resident had a couple of pupils read a book to them before finding out about children’s literature nowadays and some of the favourite authors around, as well as chatting about life and learning to read at Primary School now. 
 

The staff and residents at South Chowdene have been mixing up batter and flipping pancakes all morning in preparation for their annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day celebrations.

South Chowdene has marked this year’s Pancake Day with a Pancake Day Quiz, virtual races and a very intense Pancake flipping competition and of course, lots of pancakes! Lynne Parkin, head chef at the home, worked wonders with every resident receiving a chocolate pancake as voted for by resident poll. 
 

South Chowdene was filled with flowers, cards and sweets in celebration of St Valentine’s Day.  

Staff and residents celebrated the day of love by joining with Art Diamonds to make Lego red roses to place in vases they had decorated themselves and personalised for their family members. A heart-shaped decoration was created out of fully recycled materials and there was a fantastic party with live entertainment from Gilly singing and dancing along to decorating the home and gifting each other home-made sweets, cakes and treats.