Activities at South Chowdene Care Home

We usually go to the Library for talks, craft sessions, coffee morning, but this time, the library came to us armed with pictures of Gateshead in days gone by. There was much discussion about these and memories came flooding out especially around the shops on the high street be it due to having worked there or spent a lot of money there. There were even programmes from a few of the cinemas in the area – and they brought out a fair few tales too! The session finished with a fantastic Musical Bingo with a lot of singing along. Thank you very much to Karen, Michael and Jen.

Staff, residents, relatives and the local community came together at South Chowdene Care Home to enjoy an Autumn Fete that was held in the home’s grounds on Sunday 3rd September.

South Chowdene Care Home hosted a variety of activities throughout the day, including Raffle, tombola, craft and gift stalls as well as live entertainment from Dave Brewis, which were enjoyed by everyone who came to the event.

South Chowdene residents were hooked on the Women’s Football World Cup from the off with each residents picking a team at random and having their team flag on their bedroom door until they were knocked out. Various matches were quite heated with friends facing each other and hoping to come out on top. As teams disappeared off doors and the final 16 were whittled down, residents kept an eye on the ‘Match board’ as well as the ‘form’ of teams moving through. England games saw a lot of flag waving and residents learnt a ‘Pom dance’ to perform before England matches. Despite the huge opposition, Pat was crowned the Queen of Football and received a personal cake as a prize

Residents spent ‘Cat day’ reminiscing about the pet cats which have passed through their lives, having a laugh at cat antics and chatting about ‘working’ cats encountered in the farmyards during evacuation during WW2. We also had a quiz to check our knowledge of cats and lesser known cat breeds, followed by a visit from ‘Delilah’ and ‘Onyx’ – Sphynx cats who kept us on our toes playing ‘hide and seek’. We adored having a play with them and feeling how warm they are despite not having the usual cat fur.

We were delighted to welcome ‘Gosling Raptors’ into our home on ‘Owl day’ and met Tropical Screech owl ‘Hades’ and Black Barn owl ‘Disk’. Residents had the opportunity to have a hold of these beautiful birds of prey and to learn about their lifestyles and personalities. Residents nursed in bed also got to meet these feathered friends and have a stroke of the soft feathers. Many residents really surprised themselves on overcoming any worries about touching or holding the owls and were very proud of overcoming any worries about doing this.

The grand finale of the visit was the Eagle Owl whose awesome power was very evident on just one flap of wings which sent allsorts flying.

Residents across our services had a fantastic time joining Mandy Morrow for a virtual walking tour to learn about the ‘Herstory’ of Mayfair. The Mayfair of Nightingales may be long gone but it still holds a 20th century charm. Birthplace to the late Queen Elizabeth II, home to one of WWII's most decorated female war heroes and a tale of a wealthy Aristocrat and one of France's favourite designers.

We were delighted to take a walk down memory lane and discover stories from one of London's most iconic areas.  The experience was truly enjoyed by all.