The homes new activity coordinator Vicky gave the staff and residents who were keen to be involved some aboriginal dots for face painting.  Kasper’s Café was decorated for the occasion in red, white and blue streamers, Aussie wildlife, city signs and flags. Chris Holland, aka the didgeridoo man, visited the home and held a didgeridoo workshop in the morning. We were joined by a couple of residents and staff members from Forest View (a local support service for adults with learning and other disabilities) who shared the experience with us.  And what an experience it was!

He showcased his talent on the didgeridoo by incorporating it into storytelling that became quite animated in places; Chris went into the audience and demonstrated how someone would scavenge for insects, for example.  He even pretended to roast our inflatable kangaroo! We learnt more about the didgeridoo as he talked us through the making of one and demonstrated the different types with a collection that he had brought with him.  Then came the time for us all to learn the art of… didgeridooism…? Everyone who wanted to have a go was given a training instrument to practise on.  Once we had manged to make some sort of sound rather than just noise (it’s much harder than it looks!), we were shown how to create a variety of sounds by tightening our lips and making noises whilst blowing. Once we had cracked this, or attempted to, Chris told a story where our practising was put to good use by creating accompanying sound effects.  We would certainly have chased away any wild dingoes that may have been in the area but I don’t think that any of us will be quitting our day jobs!  It was a good laugh and everyone had fun trying.

Then residents had a lunch of Maggie Beer inspired chicken pie, whilst Chris went into the gardens to find soil and natural substances to make paint for our afternoon of aboriginal dot art.

Chris managed to make three different natural shades of paint from his findings in the garden; blue, black and white. He handed out books for inspiration and showed us some examples.  We were all given a piece of cloth and some cotton buds and were let loose with our imagination.  Some residents had very interesting ideas and one resident even created a dot art story on his piece of cloth. The Cubs joined us for this activity and got thoroughly involved, ditching the cotton buds in favour of using their fingers instead.

We were even lucky enough to enjoy an impromptu musical collaboration when a resident’s family member joined in with his guitar and played alongside Chris on his didgeridoo.  It was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

The residents enjoyed a tea of vegemite pizza with lamingtons for pudding.

Chris had truly transported us to a land far away through his art, words and music and gave us a cultural experience like no other.  I am absolutely sure that after a day of didgeridoos and painting inspired by the ‘land down under’, everyone went to bed smiling and slept well, possibly dreaming of kangaroos and the great Australian outback!

Mrs Catherin Joan Rivers, affectionately known as Joan, recently celebrated her 100th birthday with her fellow residents and the team at Brookside. Her family started to arrive mid-morning bearing armfuls of flowers and cards. Her daughters, Poppy and Dawn, arrived to Joan’s delight along with her grandson who had travelled all the way from The States to surprise his Grandmother on her special birthday. A very special card arrived from Her Majesty the Queen, followed by a telegram from Amber Rudd, both of which arrived by special delivery.  We had asked Joan what she would like for her special day and it was her wish for Elvis to sing for her, we duly obliged and he arrived on cue to entertain everyone. 

Joan’s family continued to arrive and whilst Elvis did his stuff everyone was dancing merrily.  The kitchen team had prepared a birthday buffet and Joan’s family had arranged for a beautiful birthday cake to be made, which was shared amongst everyone.  A photographer arrived from the Wiltshire Times to capture the special occasion. They asked Joan what her secret was to a long life, to which she replied, “hard work”.  Joan partied for the whole day and was still bright and breezy the following morning, we don’t know what she’s doing, but whatever it is it’s keeping her young at heart!

Joan has been a permanent resident at Brookside since 2016 but had enjoyed respite stays previously.  Along with lots of flowers and gifts from everyone, we presented Joan with a folder full of photos of her many happy days at Brookside, the last page reads to be continued. We are sure there will be many more photos to add.

For the last few years we have also enjoyed a demonstration of Scottish country dancing performed by a local school with children aged between seven and fourteen years old.

Everyone enjoys the evening and this year did not disappoint with many agreeing that this was the best so far. The feedback we have had has all been very positive.

Not only does Bob look impressive in his full regalia, he pipes in the haggis and gives the address before plunging his knife into the Scottish delicacy before serving.  His assistant for the evening is always Sonia from Brookside’s kitchen as she accompanies him around the room with the haggis.

Our Chef Matt and the rest of the kitchen team were able to enjoy the spectacle this year, seeing the whole performance.

Once the address is complete the race is on to get everyone’s meals to them piping hot, meanwhile Bob continues to entertain, firstly with a few more tunes on the bagpipes and later, after changing into something more comfortable, some more songs that were real favourites. He is an extremely talented man.  After supper the room was filled with everyone dancing, the atmosphere buzzing. We had some very tired residents the next day, but all agreed that they had a fabulous night.  We can’t wait until next year.

A day to remember the much-loved Scottish Poet. Avonbourne brought the Scottish spirit (not just the Whisky) into the home. For anyone that wanted to join in we started with an arts and crafts activity to create a wonderful poster inviting the other residents to our celebration. It was a fun packed morning, filled with Scottish music to get us in the Burns Night mood. 

Our residents celebrated with a traditional meal of Haggis and Neeps. Prior to the meal we kept true to tradition with the Selkirk Grace and the Address to the Haggis. There were lots of laughter and smiles as we fumbled through the address. We finished the meal with a toast to everyone’s health with hot toddies and for some a wee dram of whisky.

It was a wonderful day enjoyed by all and we look forward to the great events we have planned in February.

If you’d like to get involved at Avonbourne to help enrich the lives of our residents, we are always on the lookout for people who share our passion for care. There are many ways you can get involved, for more information please visit our; 

• Find a job
• Become a Volunteer page
• Activities page

You can also find us on Facebook at OSJCT Avonbourne Care Centre. 

Mel came in to tell our residents some community stories from the local area and what her role includes. Mel has been a PCSO in the Gloucestershire area for over 15 years.  Mel started her career here in Cheltenham before covering Stow-on-the-Wold and more recently moving back to cover the St Mark’s area of Cheltenham.

Mel explained how the PCSO role would be considered to be doing what old fashioned police officers did including patrolling the streets and making local community links. Mel often visits the local primary schools and care homes like Monkscroft.

Mel told us about a project called the Aston Project which was first started by PC Aston aiming to get teenagers off the streets by working with them to give them a purpose. The project involves teens stripping mini motorbikes and re-building them ready to be ridden at Gloucester’s indoor track.

Mel explained how policing has changed with the introduction of modern technology such as CCTV plus police helicopters and an increase in police horses. Many police stations have closed although Monkscroft still has a station nearby. All the police officers and PCSOs work out of the main station which makes it easier to communicate and discuss ongoing cases.

Our residents loved seeing Mel and all of her equipment, especially when they had the opportunity to try on her hat and jacket. Our residents were really engaged and asked plenty of questions. Thank you to Mel and Gloucestershire Constabulary for visiting us during national storytelling week.

It’s wonderful to see how many relationships have come to fruition between the residents at Grace Care Centre and staff members alike. This was clearly on show during a baby shower for carer Allie this past weekend, with residents even making gifts for her and …. well……bump! We all wish Allie and her partner all the best for their next chapter.

As much of the nation celebrated the life and poetry of poet Robert Burns this past burns’ night, our residents enjoyed some traditional haggis, hot totties and for some a wee dram of whiskey! To top the experience off, Grace Care Centre was visited by dance company - ‘Golden Toes’ who range from exercise classes, seated dance classes, dance exhibitions. Music and dance can make a massive difference to someone’s life helping to enforce confidence through social inclusion, helps to keep muscles and joints flexible whilst providing enjoyable engaging mental stimulation.

Grace care centres monthly Fish & Chip Club continues to grow each month. Our last club meeting was so popular we had no more seats available. Our lunches are an enjoyable social event held in a safe, relaxed, and friendly atmosphere allowing members to develop their relationships with staff and residents. It is also a chance to enjoy a few games and quizzes along the way – and of course our Freshly prepared Fish & Chips from our on-site Chef.

The day was marked with Burns themed decorations, Scottish music and of course the traditional evening meal.

As chef Markland wheeled in the offerings, traditional piper’s music was played and residents were invited to enjoy a meal of Haggis, ‘neeps and tatties’ with whisky sauce and a creamy cranachan to finish. Markland played the part, as always, donning a tartan sash and headband, although he drew the line at the kilt!  Many residents keenly tucked in to the haggis although some shied away from the opinion dividing meal, opting for a more familiar flavour. For those who had never dared to try a haggis before the feedback was generally that the taste resembled that of a herby faggot, not at all an unpleasant experience.  Residents laughed as they were offered a small wine glass of Irn-Bru to wash the meal down.

Goodson Lodge always aims to mark these special events on the calendar as it helps residents to remain connected to the wider society as well as providing an interesting topic of conversation and a chance to reminisce on years gone by.

Speaker Nick Gibbs attended our monthly Gents’ Club this week to talk about his experiences with memory and head injuries. It was a pleasure to see so many of our local community in attendance as well as our regular gentleman from the club. Nick arrived and sat with our residents plus our community visitors before the talk began, drinking tea and eating biscuits as though he had known everyone for years!

Once the audience had settled, Nick spoke of how his life has changed since suffering a severe head injury after being knocked off his bicycle in 2014. He was in a coma for 10 days but was fortunate to regain consciousness without suffering any visible physical damage. Nick could walk, talk, read and write, and all his limbs were working perfectly, however, he had suffered a brain injury.

Nick’s talk was highly engaging and entertaining; he detailed the initial months after his accident and told of how his thoughts of escape overcame him; he even asked him family to bring a power drill to his bedside in order to take the screws from the window frames! His tales of being a hospital-bound escapologist, a kitchen porter, handyman, peddler of wooden helicopters and grounds man were informative as well as getting more than a laugh or two from the crowd!

After the talk, the audience gave donations for the charity Headways, a charity very close to Nick’s heart. It was great to see everyone enjoy this talk so much and to be able to laugh along, and we hope to hear Nick speak again in the future,

If you wish to find out more about Nick Gibbs, please go to https://nickgibbs.com/

If you wish to find out more about the charity Headway, please go to https://www.headway.org.uk/

Celebrated on 25th January, Burns Night is a ceremonial gathering in honour of the celebrated Scottish poet Robert Burns. Typically involving the consumption of whisky and haggis, the event was celebrated by OSJCT homes in Oxfordshire whose residents truly got into the spirit of the occasion.

Marston Court Care Home in Oxford invited Steve Duffy, Her Majesty’s Major Piper, to address their haggis, and residents enjoyed poetry readings and Scottish dancing including a demonstration of the Highland Fling. The duly addressed haggis was then enjoyed with neeps and tatties for their Scottish-themed lunch.

Along with whisky and haggis tasting, Burns’ poetry was also enjoyed by residents at Madley Park Care Home in Witney, while employees and residents at Larkrise Care Home in Banbury were dressed in their best tartan for the day. Residents at Larkrise also got creative and painted pictures of the Highlands while sampling some delicious Scottish shortbread.

At Westgate Care Home in Wallingford, residents enjoyed a wee dram of whisky while one of the home’s multi-talented and fully-kilted carers, Jon, addressed the luncheon haggis whilst playing the bagpipes. Residents later enjoyed a poetry reading and hearing a wee history of Burns night itself.

There was a wide variety of questions asked over four rounds, with one round called “closest answer wins”, in which the answers were either huge numbers or outrageously exact, so an educated guess was often the only solution.

There were six teams, including the “Coombenders”, comprising  Coombe End’s Home Manager - Amanda Palfrey, Head of Care - Kelly Edwards and their families.  Resident Caroline Gregory also joined the fun.  However, it was not the “Coombenders’”night, having achieved first place in the opening two rounds, they ended up coming last.  Better luck next time!

After a very enjoyable night, it was “The Moonrakers” who emerged in the lead and won the £100 cash first prize, which they very generously donated back to the home.

Thank you to all who attended the quiz and to the Ukulele Group for a very lively performance.  Thanks also to the Coombe End team who helped to cook, serve and clean up.  The night raised a total of £161 for the residents’ amenity fund.

The home looks forward to hosting another successful event soon.  For dates and information about upcoming events at Coombe End, please visit https://www.osjct.co.uk/coombeendcourt/.