Photo caption: Alison with donated gifts, photo provided and is not set in a care home.

Residents at OSJCT The Cedars, Purton near Swindon, will be enjoying extra Christmas gifts and garden planters thanks to the ingenuity and energy of Activities Coordinator and Community Volunteer, Alison Green. 

Line dancing teacher Alison joined The Cedars as an Activity Coordinator in October 2020 after her classes had been put on hold due to the Pandemic. She had been interested in becoming a carer for some time and had run line dancing classes for residents in the care home since 2018.

Alison said: “I run a line dancing group called M4 Stompers. When the weather was better we used to line dance in car parks for entertainment. Now that’s not possible, we’ve turned our energies to a community project to collect donations and bring cheer to Swindon care home residents in other ways.”

The community group is called ‘Spread a bit of happiness, share a bit of love’. Alison, through a network of volunteers, including members of her dancing group, has organised Christmas gift donations including toys, toiletries, hand knitted blankets, garden planters and bird boxes.

Donations also get used as prizes for quizzes and bingo games at The Cedars which Alison organises as part of her role as Activities Coordinator. She said: “It’s lovely working with older people, I’m also training to become a carer so that I can step in when I’m needed across the home.”

Christmas gifts at The Cedars, as well as other care homes across Swindon, will be given out to residents next month.

To follow updates at The Cedars visit www.facebook.com/OSJCTTheCedars/