Activities at Cookridge Court Care Home

Here at Cookridge Court we like to focus on resident well being, and for many of our residents being able to give back to the community helps bring meaning and fulfilment to their daily lives. Betty recently shared with us that she would like to help with daily chores that she used to do at home, so of course we sprang into action to make this happen for her. Betty can now be found in her very own pinny every morning, clearing the breakfast tables and doing the washing up with host Lexie.

No heatwave will stop our weekly knitting group. With the glorious weather, our ladies took the knit and natter session outside onto the lovely summer's morning. Sitting in the cool shade, it was lovely to see everyone together enjoying a refreshment and talking. 

Family and friends coming to visit, we even stopped to have a look at what was going on, talking to everyone. It’s been a lovely morning enjoyed by all.

What a fabulous time we had on our ladies shopping trip to Marks and Spencer and B&M Stores to stock up on the essentials. Our ladies had their shopping lists in one hand and a trolly in the other as they browsed the aisle in each store, getting the bits and pieces they wanted. 

After having a successful shopping trip, we finally sat down for a lovely fresh coffee and a slice of cake, finishing our trip out nicely.   

8 fluffy chicks all hatched at Cookridge Court. We had 4 girls, which are brown coloured and 4 boys, which are yellow-coloured, all healthy and gorgeous, waiting for lots of cuddles from our residents and staff. 

The living egg programme is a wonderful activity that is enjoyed by everyone, from residents to staff and even family and friends coming in to see them.           

Staff have welcomed a new General Manager to head up the team. Prior to starting in this position Sandra was Manager of another of Barchester’s care home in Croydon and has recently relocated to Leeds to be nearer to her family who live in Barwick in Elmet.

New General Manager, Sandra said: “I am delighted to join the team here at Cookridge Court and am enjoying meeting and getting to know our residents. Whilst not a native of Yorkshire I am very familiar with the Leeds area going back to 1991 when my Dad became Chief Executive at Yorkshire Cricket Club.”

Days at Cookridge Court usually begin with an exercise class to get everyone moving. Residents can choose from a huge variety of fitness opportunities from chair based exercise, through yoga, music and movement and even boxing! As you can clearly see from his expert stance, Mr R was a keen boxer in his National Service days, and he thoroughly enjoyed some gentle sparring with coach Zac.

Lovely Care Assistant Caitlin, organised a fun life enrichment activity, pizza making, which was held on our lovely memory lane community.  The activity was inspired by our beautiful resident, Nicolina, who is of Italian heritage. Nicolina has always had a passion for cooking, and cooked many Italian dishes for her family throughout the years.    

With Nicolina’s cookery skills, homemade pizza making was something Nicolina did, especially with her children. It was a lovely activity, which was enjoyed by everyone. As you can see from the pictures, we really did have so much fun.      

What a fabulous afternoon we have had as we welcomed back Diggi’s Den, who brought some adorable furry friends for us to, hold, love and pet. Angela from Diggi’s Den brought rabbits and guinea pigs for the residents to hold and feed. 

They were absolutely gorgeous, gentle creatures and the residents loved them. We definitely had to do a fury friend head count before they left, to check everyone was there and no one had snuck into someone’s pocket.    

A little update from our Knit & natter club, that takes place every Friday morning 10.30-12.30. We are still well underway with another batch of hats, blankets and cardigans for the maternity unit at Leeds Children’s Hospital. 

We are always welcoming donations of wool. If anyone would like to donate some to our group, we would be truly grateful. The invite is also open to anyone wanting to come along and knit, or even just to join the group for a matter with a cup of tea – the more the merrier.             

We gifted every lady within the home a bunch of fresh daffodils, in honour of Mothering Sunday. As some never became mothers themselves, they have all had an inspirational mother that we have reminisced about.

There were so many smiles on their faces as they received this beautiful gift, which took them straight to flower arranging, placing them in their bedrooms.

Everyone at Cookridge court wishes you all had a happy Mothering Sunday, as we remembered and celebrated all Mothers on this day.   

This week, the resident ventured out on a trip to the wonderful Leeds Jewish Welfare Board to join their amazing Sing Yourself Happy group.   

We had a wonderful afternoon singing songs such as, You are my sunshine, Lambeth way, and She’s my girl, along with many more classic hits, breaking off half way to have a cup of tea and biscuits. It was great to be able to connect with our local community and meet new faces.  

We welcomed back Tracy from Creative Minds Bradford for another crafty session. It was another popular one, as many came together to get creative and socialise as we used various different methods to create a piece of artwork. 

In this session, residents made abstract drawings of spring scenery, using a variety of colours – a perfect decoration to be displayed in their rooms.  

Staff and residents had a fantastic time visiting Costa Coffee in Kirkstall.

Residents and staff had a brilliant time taking residents to Costa Coffee who enjoyed a freshly blended coffee and a slice of cake, socialising with each other and reminiscing over places in Leeds, Kirkstall been one of them.

Activities Assistant, Laura said: “We absolutely love being able to take our residents out and about to various places in the homes mini bus. The weather was dull but that didn’t stop us getting out of the home to go and enjoy a fresh coffee with a slice of cake.  It has been a fantastic morning and we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.”

Easter celebrations at Cookridge Court! We had a fabulous time with lots of Easter activities taking place, followed by a delicious roasted lamb lunch with all the trimmings, with everyone receiving an Easter egg from the home in celebration of Easter. 

It was a lovely day enjoyed by all.                 

We had a lovely intergenerational session with our neighbouring school, Holy Name Catholic School! 

Pupils visited us, with workbooks in tow, to showcase their amazing work they have been doing in class. They took to going around each resident, telling them what they had been learning, reading pieces of work to them – it was amazing. 

Celebrating St Patrick’s Day, the children were dressed in green, giving it a lovely Irish feel. It was truly a wonderful afternoon watching two generations come together, seeing beautiful engagement and beaming smiles from our residents.