Activities at Hickathrift House Care Home

We have two Activities Coordinators here at Hickathrift House. We have a wide range of activities within the home, including musical entertainment, arts & crafts, clubs for like-minded people, such as flower arranging and gardening, board games, baking (where the best bit is the eating afterwards!), and we celebrate special events throughout the year. We also have trips out on a regular basis using our own minibus, where we find out places of interest each person would like to visit.

It is important to us that each individual who we support can get as much from these activities as possible, so we try our best to arrange activities that reflect their interests and capabilities, and encourage them to participate in any way they can. We also encourage relatives to join in with activities and events as often as they can.

For the less mobile residents, we unique one-to-one session, such as simple chats over a cup of tea, reading or listening to music. Activities are some of the most important aspects of a care home, so it is essential that our team are dedicated to ensuring that residents are entertained, and that life at Hickathrift House is fun and active.

Enriching life
Watch our video on life enrichment in our homes.

Kat Colangelo

Activities Lead

Hello, my name is Kat and I am the Activities Lead here at Hickathrift House.

Since 2017 I have been working in the field of well-being and I am passionate and enthusiastic about enriching all our of residents' quality of life. 

As the Activities Lead at Hickathrift House, my focus is learning about each of our resident's likes and dislikes and supporting them to remain receptive and active in addition to supporting them to engage with our local community friends.

I organise activities to stimulate the mind, body and soul in an enjoyable, comfortable way. My aim is to diversify and increase activities ensuring that there is something for everyone - from Wine and Cheese events, excursions on our home Mini Bus as well as individual bespoke person-centered activities.

 

Life-encriching activities booklet

Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure

Activities and Events Partnerships

As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies

Life at Hickathrift House Care Home

Meet The Reindeers

Across our homes we got into the Christmas spirit of things by joining a festive live virtual experience, led by Des and Kelly from Performing Pets.

Our residents were thrilled to meet the charming furry friends and get up close and personal with the reindeers.  We certainly learnt some interesting facts about the animals and had a fantastic time.

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Bingo Fundraiser Night

We had an incredible night at Walsoken Village Hall last Friday hosting a fantastic bingo fundraiser with several residents! We are thrilled to announce we raised an outstanding £1,600.

All of the funds will go towards supporting residents to live life to the fullest through our Post-A-Wish Initiative and incredible outings, entertainment and community events.

Barrie, Hickathrift's Resident Ambassador said, "I'm astonished by the turnout. It was brilliant to see so many people come and join us for this amazing event. We had a brilliant time and I won some prizes which was the cherry on top".

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Remembrance Crafts

In the lead-up to Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, residents have enjoyed creating beautiful poppy pictures and wonderful crafts to go on our display and around Hickathrift House.
The fabulous Debbie from Gratitude 43 joined us to make stunning bottled centrepieces for our 1940s dining experience. Residents are always thrilled to learn and build on their impressive decoupage skills. We've also enjoyed mindful colouring which has sparked wonderful memories. Earlier this week we also joined the local Crafty Ladies Club at Marshland Hall & Tearoom for a hot beverage and a spot of poppy tissue crafts and knitting.
Arthur shared wonderful tales of being in the Air Force and the people he met while Norah shared that she met her husband when working in the WREN. There are many fantastic stories to share with staff that we all thoroughly enjoyed hearing.

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Peters Wish

This month we started granting Peter's wish with our Post a Wish initiative. Peter's wish is to continue his deep passion for local history, so, we suggested visiting all of the amazing museums in the area, starting with the fabulous Stories of Lynn Museum.
We all had an incredible time at the beautiful Stories of Lynn Museum at the Town Hall with Luke, Kings Lynn Borough Archivist and Karen, Tourist Information Supervisor. Residents, especially Peter, were thrilled to discuss the local history, see the royal shields, artwork and manuscripts as well as dressing up together.
Peter said, "I'm so pleased I got to pick Luke’s brains and learn about the south gates. He's very knowledgeable and passionate".
It was a fantastic trip for all to share tales of visiting and living in Kings Lynn while enjoying the scrumptious treats and fabulous company. A huge thank you to the wonderful staff and volunteers at the Stories of Lynn Museum.

Home launches Dementia Cafe

Hickathrift House in Marshland St James, Wisbech, have recently launched a dementia café for residents as well as members of the local community after upgrading their activities room, ‘the Snug’. The new Dementia Café was launched as a welcoming space for carers in the community and their loved ones who may be living with dementia. Taking place every third Friday of the month, guests will have a chance to meet other carers, gain support and advice for their loved ones living with dementia and have a chance to meet the team at the home, to discuss any questions they might have about care.

Armistice Day

Hickathrift House Care Home in Marshland st James commemorated the signing of the Armistice Day agreement on the day that the guns finally fell silent. They joined the rest of the United Kingdom in holding a two-minute silence at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, along with members of the local community at the war memorial in Wisbech, including the Mayor and Mayoress, High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, Steven Barclay MP and the local cadets and military attendees.

Upcoming events

April

Stepping into April and a fun filled month ahead - all welcome to join us.

Newsletter - March

We are delighted to share our newsletter - March / Easter edition.

Dementia Cafe - 3rd Friday of the month

We extend a warm invitation for you to join us at our monthly dementia cafe.

Knit and Natter - Bi-monthly

Do you enjoy knitting? Come along and make new friends at our bi monthly Knit and Natter group - all welcome.

Gentleman's Club - Last Sunday of the month

Come along and enjoy a variety of activities over a beverage or two!  Make new friends - all welcome.

Emergency Services - Take a break on us!

Calling all emergency personnel!  Come and take a break on us - there may be a cake or two available!

Coffee Morning

We extend a warm invitation for you to join us at our monthly Coffee Morning - make new friends and enjoy a slice of homemade cake.

Volunteer Coffee Morning - every Tuesday

We recognise the special impact volunteers can have on the lives of our residents and we hope you can join us.