Activities at Springvale Court Care Home

Our residents received special visits from their grandchildren and great grandchildren to celebrate Grandparents’ Day.  They reminisced about stories from their childhood when they spent time with their own grandparents, and spoke fondly about their grandchildren.

Residents enjoyed hot drinks with mini pasties and cake, with their families, all prepared by Activities Team of the home which went down a treat.
 

What a fantastic afternoon we all had. Our residents loved it. There was lots of laughter and smiles and singing along. Some of our residents even found themselves getting emotional as the songs brought back some lovely memories for them.

Elvis always brings so much enjoyment to our residents every time he visits.

We love the outdoors and spending time in the garden.  Residents took advantage of the recent warm weather to spend time playing games and catching up with each other, sharing stories of time spent in our own gardens and flowers they grew.

The garden games brought a little friendly competitiveness but lots of laughter!

Resident, Helen expressed a wish to go out for a spot of festive retail therapy.  Her wish was granted and off we went, Helen browsed Christmas cards, and gifts for her grandchildren, even picking up some treats for her herself along the way, although she did say she didn't have much of a sweet tooth, her sweet treats in the basket said differently!

After shopping, we enjoyed a spot of delicious lunch at Tesco cafe and Helen laughed as our order number is the same age as her...86! She even sneaked one of her teacakes out her bag to enjoy with her cuppa!
 

Across our homes we’ve had the most wonderful time celebrating the festive season with a special screening of 2020’s OLD VIC: IN CAMERA – A Christmas Carol.

This beautifully staged production brought the magic of Dickens’ classic tale right into our homes. A huge thank you to The Old Vic theatre for sharing this incredible performance with us. It was a truly wonderful experience. 

Staff at Springvale have taken part in a sponsored memory walk to raise money for Alzheimer’s.

Staff and residents at the home got stuck in to help raise funds for this very important cause. Care Assistants Donna, Kelly, Bev, and Emma joined forces to complete and said, “They had an amazing day, and it was great fun whilst raising funds for such a worthy cause."
 

After 28 years of continuous service as a much-loved Care Assistant, Valerie Welsh has decided to retire.

Staff and residents at the home sent Val off in style with a tea party with ‘nozeco’ a buffet, flowers and presents to thank her for many years of dedication. Everyone at the home has very fond memories of Val, and she will be sadly missed.

During her time at Springvale Court, Val worked her way up from being a Care Assistant to a Senior Care Assistant before choosing to go back to a Care Assistant for her last few years.
 

Joseph & George challenge each other to a game of dominoes every week. They request beer & crisps to enjoy whilst playing.

Joseph is in the lead this week, winning 8/12 games. George has won the last 3 games and Joe said that he wasn't going to be beaten again this week and his determination certainly paid off. 

Our dominoes club is every Tuesday at 13.30pm.

We were invited to our local centre, Springwell Hub for Christmas carols & coffee morning with Cedar's College students. We played a game of domino's and bingo....It was Helens first time playing Domino's & she WON! Beginners Luck Dot Said.

George won the house on Bingo and was thrilled with his prize...a box of shortbread! Tea, coffee and cakes were had by all.

We all sang Christmas songs together with Cedars college students, thank you for a lovely morning. Merry Christmas To You All!

Staff and residents across our homes were treated to an interactive virtual Christmas-inspired table decorating masterclass, courtesy of talented master florist, Kathryn Delve.  

Kathryn is an independent florist based in Somerset, she specialises in creating unique wedding and event flowers.  She takes much of her inspiration for her displays from the beautiful scenery that surrounds her home and the changing seasons and colours.

During the workshop, residents were invited to join Kathryn to make beautiful Christmas-themed table decorations. 
 

Our residents had a wonderful afternoon at our dementia rave. We had 50s, 60s and 70s remix themes that really sparked memories for our residents from the past. 

Happiness filled the room, there was lots of singing, dancing, refreshments. The residents loved the visors and glow sticks.

Our residents couldn’t wait to get on the dance floor today. We can’t wait for the next one! 

Residents, Joe and Norman have always wanted a tour of iconic stadium St James’ Park with both of them being life-long Newcastle United supporters, so staff at the home made their wish a reality proving the old adage, it’s never too late.

Joe and Norman have both lived at Springvale Court for several years and are beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making their dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to them. They all wanted to be there to see the smile on their faces when their dream was realised.

Staff first found out about Joe and Norman’s dream several years ago and, ever since then, they have been dedicated to helping them achieve it. Joe and Noman were accompanied by the homes Activities Coordinator, Donna and a member of the care team, Alex to witness this momentous occasion.
 

We enjoyed a lovely reminiscence session as we stepped back in time to look through old photographs of Gateshead and Wrekenton.

John and Dot have lived in Wrekenton for many years and recognised the photographs taken of Wrekenton Row and Wrekenton High Street back in 1959. It was wonderful to hear Dot Sharing her memories with us from when she was a little girl and would go with her Mam up to the high street shopping and if she was a good girl she would always get some sweeties.

Whilst, Joyce recognised Old Durham Road and laughed when we had a look at the old tin baths and the rag and bone man!
 

Our afternoon started with a delicious buffet prepared by our lovely hospitality team, we then had an hour of karaoke disco where Norman, George & George's daughter all sang for us. They all had a standing ovation for their performances.

We all danced, sang & got right into the Christmas spirit while singing Christmas carols, and even our residents families joined in too.  Residents requested lots of Christmas songs to be played and even a bit Bruce Springsteen "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" 

A great day had by all.

Residents across our services had a lovely time joining Emily and Marie-Therese from the Wallace Collection, for a virtual introduction to Reubens' Rainbow Landscape.

Residents truly enjoyed the sensory walk through one of the museum’s most famous landscape paintings.

Everyone who joined had a wonderful experience and can’t wait to put their creative skills to the test by painting some landscapes of our their in the coming days!