The group was set up with an aim to give Bicester the reputation of being a kind town and is a forum for sharing kind acts that have been carried out or witnessed. As the group says on its profile, “every act of kindness makes a difference to our town,” and may in turn encourage others to follow suit.

The postcards from the group began arriving in August and have not stopped since. From Italy to Devon, Glasgow to Switzerland the senders’ holidays were interesting and varied. Residents enjoyed reading all about them and discussing where they have been on holiday in the past themselves, forming part of the reminiscence as therapy activity programme at the home. Receiving the postcards was a novelty in itself; it is something that happens less and less frequently, and it is always touching to know you are being thought of, especially from such a distance.

Residents of Langford View have invited the senders of the postcards to come along to one of the weekly coffee mornings held at the home each Friday. The residents look forward to meeting the people who have taken the time to correspond with them and will enjoy hearing about their travels in person.

If you would like to correspond with residents at Langford View, please do get in touch; the home would love to hear from you. If you’d prefer to meet the residents in person then please do attend our weekly coffee mornings where everyone is welcome.

The condition is thought to be a result of poor weather conditions, the length of time since Christmas (not to mention the early December payday) and the challenge to keep up new year’s resolutions.

Loneliness and isolation can be felt at any age in society but it is particularly prevalent in older generations. Age UK reports that if loneliness is not addressed it can become chronic and could have a serious affect on people’s health and well-being, making it harder to get through the bleak days of January.

With this in mind, Langford View in Bicester ran a range of activities over the last week in January that were specifically designed to lift the mood and get the body moving, such as mindfulness lessons, performances from a professional singer and fitness classes.

Langford View Home Manager, Farida Ait-Tales, says: “There is much that can be done locally to help those in our community who feel lonely, particularly at this time of year. That’s why Langford View wanted to beat the January Blues in Bicester!”

The home also held a ‘Colourful Comedy Coffee Morning’ on Friday 25th January which was open to anyone in the community who felt like a laugh, chat and a cup of coffee. Colourful clothing and decorations lifted the spirits and hot drinks and refreshments were served as a comedian entertained the room.

If this sounds like something you or someone you know might enjoy, the home urges you to join them for one of their weekly coffee mornings. For more information please call the home on 01869 252343.

The conference was following on from the successful ‘live music now’ choir in every care home project. Ewa spoke about her experiences with the project and the benefit music had on the residents at Monkscroft. Gareth Gates was also a speaker at the conference and spoke about how much it has helped his speech impediment.

Ewa delivered two 50 minutes sessions on the day and shared how one lady could only remember a tune of a song that she wanted to sing. Another resident knew some of the lyrics and staff sourced them for the next session, bringing tears of joy to her eyes.

Douglas Noble Strategic Director at Live Music Now said “I would like to say a big thank you to Ewa and Charlotte for coming to the conference in Nottingham and sharing their expert perspectives on working on the Project. Ewa, you gave such a clear and powerful sharing of what you, your team and residents experienced and learnt. It was an invaluable contribution to the event and I know it had a strong impact on delegates. Three of the attendees at our workshop have said they have been inspired by your presentation to bring more music into the setting where they work as activities coordinators.”

The information they gather will help to shape the future of health and social care, so it's really important for you to have your say and get involved.

Check out this link where Matt Hancock launches the portal and explains what it is all about.

The campaign will be themed around five key challenges:

• Staff are equipped to do their job; getting the basics right
• Staff feel safe and secure; working without fear of bullying, discrimination or violence
• Staff feel included and valued; belonging to an organisation that respects and values everyone's contribution
• Staff are developed: having acess to the training, development and support you need
• Staff feel empowered; achieving your full potential

So how do you get involved?

Follow this link to see the five Talk Health and Care challenges, hover over the challenge you'd like to comment on and click "join in". Once you've created your Crowdicity account then you can participate in the dialogue, adding your thoughts and ideas.  You don't have to use your full name when registering so can remain as anonymous as you would like to be.

Is it easy to access?

The platform is available on PCs, tablets and smartphones so it's really easy for you to share your thoughts, monitor feedback from others to any ideas you post and engage with other ideas posted by colleagues in the sector. 

What will the DHSC do with the outputs?

Workforce is a priority fo the DHSC and they want to make sure as many voices are heard.  The information they gather will help to inform the future of both the NHS and Adult Social Care in England and will be incorporated into the NHS Long Term Plan and Social Care Green Paper.

This really is your opportunity for your voice to be heard; discuss with your colleagues and join the conversation!

How can I find out more?

If you would like to find out more about the portal, please visit https://dhscworkforce.crowdicity.com/.

During the week leading up to the coffee morning, our residents baked up a storm knowing how important the morning is to a lot of people around the UK.

Many of our staff and residents know people who have battled or who are battling cancer right now. We were grateful for the support shown by the staff, residents and relatives.

There were some amazing cakes and cupcakes, lovingly made by everyone at Avonbourne. We had a great variety for people to choose from on the day including some very yummy gluten free ‘Orange and Lemon Polenta Cake’ and some moreish diabetic friendly ‘Blueberry Muffins’.

We are delighted to announce we raised just over £100 from our coffee morning.  A big thank you to everyone who supported us on this important morning.  We hope to see you at our future events.

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, you could join our fantastic team, register to become a volunteer or get involved with the latest events and activities. 

The Harvest Festival was a wonderful opportunity for residents from across the county to meet up and socialise and showcase some of the incredible produce from the gardens and kitchens of the homes.

There was a truly fabulous array of homemade items including jams, chutneys, cakes and bread alongside an impressive harvest of homegrown fruit and vegetables such as apples, tomatoes, carrots and marrows.

Residents also displayed their creative talents with numerous flower displays and craft tems including gift cards, badges and decorations, and even scarecrows!

Prizes were on offer in a variety of categories including Best Crafts, Best Fruit and Vegetables, Best Flower Arrangement and Best Preserves. The judges were hugely impressed by the efforts all of the homes have put in and had some very hard decisions to make as they viewed and tasted the treats on offer.

Residents were also treated to a special Harvest themed service by Gregory House resident Bobby, who was formally the Reverend for the parishes of Harmston and Coleby. Bobby devised a dementia friendly service with the key messages of thankfulness and blessings for the Harvest.

Volunteer and Events Manager Anita Rudd said: “It’s humbling to be part of days like to today. So much work has gone in to preparing for the event across all the homes and it’s mind blowing what the residents have achieved.”

The South West in Bloom award will be presented to the Orders of St John Care Trust at the Melksham AGM in the Town Hall at 7pm on Tuesday 6th November.

Kay Rudge, Area Operations Manager for OSJCT, comments: “We are thrilled that Brookside’s beautiful gardens have been recognised by this prestigious Gold award. The residents along with Jaime Carter, the care home manager, and his team as well as our wonderful volunteers have enabled this magnificent accomplishment and we thank them all. Gardening is one of many interactive and creative activities we engage in as a Trust to help our residents achieve a happy and fulfilling life in the home. The local community is very important to us and we greatly enjoying working with everyone and value the fantastic support we receive.”

Melksham prides itself as a market town with impressive floral and garden displays winning Gold previously in The South West in Bloom competition. The importance of community and its engagement is also demonstrated here with the assistance of local volunteers and students all helping to contribute to the beautiful presentations.

Angie Williams, a Trust Admiral Nurse, has been nominated for The Good Nurse Award which acknowledges the important role that specialist nurses working in the Care Sector have in promoting the emotional, physical, psychological and social health of the people who they support.  Angie has already been recognised for her outstanding patient care by invitation of Buckingham Palace for a reception for frontline nurses on 14 March 2018. A memorable day which included a conversation with HRH Prince Charles who also acknowledged and thanked the attendees for their outstanding contribution to patient care.

Larkrise Care Centre in Banbury Oxfordshire has two finalists. Tracey Bennet has been nominated for The Dignity in Care Award which demonstrates the significance of maximising client independence and choice, whilst respecting and maintaining privacy and dignity at all times.  Graham Reed has secured a place for The Care Home Chef Award that identifies the ‘whole home approach’ to food and nutrition issues within the care home, providing recognition to the catering and care staff and nutrition-related activities in the home.

The Old Station House in Abingdon has nominee Jeff Denton selected for The Care Home Activity Organiser Award for those who have shown they can provide a ‘needs led’, varied and appropriate programme for care home residents.

Marta Zywiec at The Meadows in Didcot has been chosen for The Care Home Worker Award category which appreciates the significant role of the Care Home Worker in consistently providing a high-quality standard for people living in residential care.

Kerry Dearden, Deputy CEO, comments: “To have five finalists at these prestigious awards is wonderful recognition of the dedicated person-centred level of care we provide as a Trust. Our employees are valued greatly and through training and development programmes and we endeavour to help best support residents to achieve an active and fulfilling life. We wish the very best of luck to our colleagues and to all nominees who have been selected in the Great British Care Awards categories.”

For more information on the awards please visit: http://www.care-awards.co.uk/

An 8am start at The Poplars in Market Rasen saw the team of energetic cyclists, including Dan Hayes CEO, commence their journey. They had well-deserved rest stops during their route at 12 of the 15 homes run by OSJCT and their epic ride concluded at Patchett Lodge in Holbeach early evening.

Paul Edwards, Director of Clinical Services at Dementia UK, said: “We are so grateful to have the support of The Orders of St John Care Trust and we wish them every success in their upcoming cycling challenge. Through their fundraising efforts, we can increase the number of specialist dementia nurses (Admiral Nurses) in response to one of the greatest health conditions of our time.”

OSJCT provides high level care to those living with dementia and wanted to help raise funds for our partner Dementia UK. Each year around 850,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with dementia equating to 1 in 14 people. The number of individuals with dementia is increasing as a probable result of people now living longer. According to statistics it is thought that by 2025 the number of people in the UK with dementia will have risen to over 1 million.

Dementia UK provide specialist support to families with a loved one who has dementia and also fund Admiral Nurses. An Admiral Nurse is a nurse that is continually trained, developed and supported by Dementia UK. They provide families with support, expert guidance and with a friendly face to help the individual live more positively with Dementia.

Dan Hayes, Chief Executive Officer, comments: “This event was a wonderful opportunity to fundraise for one of our partners, Dementia UK, who provide support to the Trust in helping to assist residents with dementia. Whether individuals were on a bike, in the support minibus, making the refreshments or cheering on from the roadside it was a fun day reminding us why we all do what we do every day. Thanks to everyone who made this occasion a great success.”

If you would still like to donate post event please do so at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/osjct-tourdetrust. This site also contains additional details about what we are doing and the work of Dementia UK.

The opening was a great occasion and was attended by the organisations involved in the build and the local community including children from Stow Primary School.

The Grand Master met residents and employees as he toured the care centre and was shown the home and its facilities. During the visit, he met residents involved in a range of activities; some were making dough for pizzas which they would cook in the new pizza oven recently purchased by the home, whilst others were making flower corsages and ribbon bows, expertly guided by the local florist, which they then wore to the official ceremony.

The commemorative plaque took centre stage in the marquee and was unveiled by The Grand Master following a blessing by The Very Revd Alec Knight, OBE and Dom Edward Corbould, OSB.

Residents Margaret and Kath presented The Grand Master with flowers and a gift on behalf of those living and working at the home.

The school children loved the games in the garden including hook-a-duck, a coconut shy and of course plenty of candy floss! The residents of Edwardstow Court enjoyed seeing the children play and having so many visitors to their home.

Celebrations were rounded off with a glass of fizz and a toast following some well wishes by OSJCT chairman Don Wood, Chief Executive Dan Hayes and Deputy Chief Executive Kerry Dearden.

A great day was had by all and we wish Edwardstow Court Care Centre a very happy future.