Activities at South Chowdene Care Home

South Chowdene Care Home residents made the most of the great weather this week making sure Picnic Week was celebrated both out and about as well as in our beautiful garden. Head chef Lynne made sure the picnic boxes were overflowing with all the traditional picnic favourites including items requested and suggested by our residents. We heard some lovely stories of family picnic fun and games as well as tales of those occasions when the weather wasn’t quite what was ‘ordered’! The weather was certainly with us on our Picnic trips as well as our garden event when residents got out on the minibus to Chester Riverside Park for a look at the wild birds on the river, the wildflower and tended gardens and after the picnics, a visit to the Ice Cream van. Delicious!

Residents across our homes had a fantastic time during a special live virtual event in celebration on National Ice Cream Day. Wall’s team took us on a great journey through history, sharing fascinating details about the brand since its launch in 1922. We learned about major innovations such as the introduction of Mr Whippy, Cornetto, Viennetta, Twister, and Carte d'Or.

Residents were treated to a singalong to Cornetto classic ads, an interactive quiz about fun Wall’s facts and best-of-all, an ice-cream tasting session. It was a delightful experience for everyone, especially our ice-cream lovers.

Residents across our homes had a fantastic time during a special live virtual event, led by Jennifer and Emily from Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog welfare charity. Jennifer and Emily took us on a journey to discover the rich history of Dogs Trust and their facilities.

Using captivating video and photo footage, our residents were able to explore rehoming centres and learn more about the highest level of welfare offered there. It was a delightful experience for everyone, especially our dog lovers.

Saying a big THANK YOU to not just our carers, but all departments as well as our volunteers.

Residents worked hard in craft sessions making personalised cards for each department and individual volunteer as we value the outstanding work done by everyone here at South Chowdene.

Geordie day as such doesn’t exist to our knowledge however, that didn’t stop us having our own with themed food and drinks, pictures of our favourite places around the home as well as a talk about being ‘Geordie’ from Linda Davison.

She took us through where the name came from and how the language and traditions have developed over time. During the break, we enjoyed Ham and Pease Pudding stotties which were washed down with Brown Ale.

We were very lucky to have Judith Carruthers along from the Progressive Players with her extensive archivist knowledge and enthusiasm. She brought along some great and very precious artefacts from the theatre and as it was the only theatre opened during WWII, these went back a fair way.

We were introduced to the ‘Dodds sisters’ who were instrumental in getting and keeping the theatre going as well as having incredibly varied and successful lives outside the theatre. Many of our residents visited the theatre often but both Val and June had actually hen on stage there as teenagers as part of schools projects.