Activities at The Cedars Bourne Care Home

We were thrilled to be invited to watch Bourne Abbey C of E Primary Academy production of Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits yesterday.

The children were incredible, performing with confidence and skill; the music was superb and the vocal skills of both the soloists and group songs were perfect. Margaret, Bert, Sheila and Doreen were clapping, laughing and singing along with genuine enjoyment.

Doreen said 'I wouldn't have missed it, it was great!'

We were so grateful for the kindness shown to us from the beginning to the end- thank you Mrs Seymour and Mrs Thomas for inviting us, and to all of the children and staff for a truly magical afternoon.

What a fantastic afternoon with the talented Alison Jay!

After enjoying the Eurovision Song Contest, we decided to hold a Eurovision Disco of our own. Megan, Anne and Dorothy had the mics and were singing all the words to the classic winners, from Puppet On A String to Jack In A Box, All Kinds Of Everything and of course Waterloo by ABBA. 

The music caught everyone’s imagination and the room was full of singing and dancing all afternoon.     

This week staff and residents dusted off their dancing shoes and donned their sparkling frocks to join Alison Jay performing the most popular songs form Eurovision over the last seventy years.

Knowing how much their residents had enjoyed watching the contest in Vienna earlier this month, and then reminiscing and singing all the songs from bygone years, the activities team at The Cedars care home came up with the genius idea of throwing a Eurovision Disco Party. The team invited all the residents, their families and friends and the afternoon went down a storm.

This month we had a very special community event: an Antiques Valuation with Bargain Hunt's very own Colin Young from Golding Young (The Bourne Auction Rooms). Colin Young is well known on TV, printed media and radio as one of the profession's most knowledgeable and respected auctioneers, and has over 35 years of experience. 

Visitors enjoyed a range of cocktails including the French 75, Mojito and Virgin Mimosa whilst Colin appraised a variety of items including china, pottery, plaques, watches and hats. The mallet decanter and bowler hat were beautiful, and our highlight was seeing a child's respirator from World War I. Colin said, "The most exciting piece today was the pottery model of the Red Hall." It was a fascinating event.
 

How could we resist that beautiful breeze today! Plans were put on hold in favour of an impromptu Ice Cream Social, with an opportunity to cool off in the pool. 
Residents loved sitting in the shade of our majestic trees talking and listening to the chatter of our resident jackdaws. Ann said "we really do live in privilege!"

Staff, residents, relatives and the local community came together to enjoy their annual Summer Fete that was held in the home’s grounds on 27^sthJune; in order to raise money for Re-Engage, a charity that combats social isolation in the over 65’s by providing free volunteer led services including telephone calls, activity groups and tea parties. 

The Cedars hosted a variety of artisan craft stalls, tombola and raffle for everyone to enjoy, including handmade jewellery, local honey and pet accessories. We were also joined by ‘The Little Filly’ Catering who provided delicious burgers and pizzas to the guests. All this fun framed the main event: the rubber duck races on the river.

Skegness beach was a beautifully sunny destination for our first minibus day trip.

Margaret, Bert, Vera and Jean had a wonderful day starting with a wonder down the promenade and down the stunning Victorian pier, before enjoying a delicious fish'n'chip lunch. We then had a go at the penny slot machines, where senior carer, Amanda Barnes, won every resident an adorable duck to take home. 

Finally, it was on to the beach to round off the day with a walk in the sand, kite flying and ice cream. And when Bert wanted to walk across the sand in his bare feet – how could we refuse? It was a day to remember!

We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to our relative ambassador, Paula Finch, for her incredibly kind and generous donation of a specialist outdoor and off-road nursing chair for our home. This chair will enable so many of our residents to get out and about in their community once more. 

This month Margaret was able to go over to the wellhead before visiting the Church. She said how 'lovely' the park was with the daisies scattered throughout and was very happy to be able to go to a Church once more. 

Thank you so much from all of us – your support really does make a huge difference to our residents.      

Residents and Staff were in awe of the majestic birds of prey that came to visit the home. Along with their trainers from Rutland Outdoor Pursuits, residents watched a stunning display of flying and feeding from Storm the Barn Owl, Nancy the Tawny Owl, Little Frankie the African Scots Owl and Moaning Myrtle the Harris Hawk; before having a chance to hold the beautiful birds. We also learnt some fascinating facts, including that the USA native Harris Hawk has all round vision- which is where we get the phrase ‘Hawk Eyed’; and that Barn Owls were call Ghost Owls in medieval England due to their silent flight. 

Resident Sheila said ‘It’s hard to believe we are so close when they are flying!’, whilst Barbara commented that ‘You could really feel the wind! If I’d’ave washed my hair she’d of dried it for us’!

This month we hosted our very own Mad Hatters Tea Party to celebrate Alice in Wonderland Day. It was mad, fun and curious; and everyone was late except for the White Rabbit! Delicious treats and plenty of tea kept everyone 
entertained all afternoon!

Our team lead and amazing carer, Frances Campy, joined us in her role as lay minister to lead a Church of England Service for a very full room of over 20 people this month. 

Fran shared a story about belief and healing before surprising us all with her hidden musical talent: leading hymns that filled the room with song, expertly conducted by Peter!  Fran supports our Church of England residents with spiritual guidance and Holy Communion; and we would like to thank her for giving her time and skills so freely.

In addition, we have regular visits from the Catholic Priest for Holy Communion, links with the Jewish Liberal Church, Kingdom Hall and local Mosque to support all of our residents and staff with their own personal faiths.   

Residents and guests enjoyed a heartfelt afternoon of smiles. A live acoustic performance filled the room with an atmospheric vibe that left us lost for words. Local duo, Joel and Lauren, a guitarist and cellist respectively, performed a beautifully lyrical and immersive set.

It was incredible to see and feel how the classical pieces affected everyone, from Bach’s “Ave Maria” to Camille Saint-Saens “The Swan” and when “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was played, instinctively voice after voice joined in. When Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was played and the residents asked how it made them feel, resident Anne Miller said, “it made my heart turn over”.

Our thanks to the hospitality team who laid on a fantastic spread of refreshments to enjoy during the performance

We had a great time celebrating the Mexican Cinco de Mayo in style.

Residents travelled virtually to Mexico to watch a detailed tour of the varied country, from colourful cities to national butterfly reserves and ancient monuments; learnt seated and standing salsa dancing (which Peter was excellent at!) and learnt some of the history of the celebration as well as some Spanish phrases. 

We ceased the opportunity to hang some bunting, dress up and enjoy some traditional Mexican music, along with delicious dishes including Sopa de Fideo (a spiced tomato soup), Arroz Con Pollo (a very popular chicken and cheese one pot dish in Latin America) and Sopapilla (a Mexican cheesecake made with cream cheese, crescent dough and cinnamon), prepared by our very talented chef Hemanta. 

It was a brilliant day!       

They say never work with children or animals, but we beg to differ!

This month has been full of smiles and cuddles with animal visits from Michelle's Animal Therapy & Petting Party and the lambs from Mill Farm; the star being the nine-week-old puppy Bailey, who visited residents throughout the home in their rooms. We were also thrilled to meet Mable and Violet – our amazing care practitioner Sarah Longstaff's baby granddaughters, just 5 weeks old! 

Our residents can't wait to see them all again!