Activities at Hickathrift House Care Home

We celebrated National Book Lovers Day with an array of activities throughout the week. Our activities included a book trolley, poetry reading, attending a local book club at Marshland Hall & Tearoom and repurposing our old beloved books in our craft club. Residents have been immersing themselves in books that they've chosen and loved discussing the storylines in one-to-one chats with each other and staff.

We have also launched our community book swap which locals can explore our fabulous trolley outside the entrance of Hickathrift House. Everyone is able to grab a new story and swap their beloved books so residents can enjoy a new book. 

Staff and residents from Hickathrift House care home in Wisbech, had a wonderful time attending many of the events organised by the King’s Lynn Festival, and even created some of their own! The King’s Lynn Festival returned this year with a whole range of classical music stars, TV personalities, folk, jazz, talks, walks and exhibitions from the 16th to 29th of July 2023, and many of these events were attended and recreated by Hickathrift House care home.

Hickathrift House’s program included watching the various classical music videos on the King’s Lynn Festival website, a trip to the ‘Blast to Blitz’ exhibition, a virtual tour of King’s Lynn and a shopping trip in the Vancouver Quarter.  The star event was a visit by staff from the Stories of Lynn Museum. During the event, residents learned about the history of the Mayors and Mayoresses of King’s Lynn and the origins of the King’s Lynn Mart. 

Residents across our services had a fantastic time joining Mandy Morrow for a virtual walking tour to learn about the ‘Herstory’ of Mayfair. The Mayfair of Nightingales may be long gone but it still holds a 20th century charm. Birthplace to the late Queen Elizabeth II, home to one of WWII's most decorated female war heroes and a tale of a wealthy Aristocrat and one of France's favourite designers.

We were delighted to take a walk down memory lane and discover stories from one of London's most iconic areas.  The experience was truly enjoyed by all.

Residents had a marvellous day at Old Hunstanton. We dug our feet in the sand, collected an array of seashells for our craft club, and of course, had scrumptious fish and chips near the beachfront.
Everyone was able to get on the sand with support from Mencap! We rented their fabulous beach hut and beach wheelchairs making it even easier for residents to enjoy living life to the fullest while staying at Hickathrift House.

Jean said, "It's been a long time since I've been to the beach let alone along the sand. It's been a wonderful day. Particularly the fish and chips!"

We took full advantage of the weather and hosted our Rock N Roll party in the beautiful Memory Lane sensory garden. Everyone grabbed their dancing shoes and sang along to the delightful singing by our superb entertainment from residents' favourites KJ & the Catt.  We were joined by family and friends and most importantly we all got moving and grooving! 
Ruth, a family member of a resident on Memory Lane said, "I really appreciate being able to join Mum for these parties. She loves the music and it's so important for me to be able to share these moments with her".

This month, Brian's wish was granted by our 'Post a Wish' initiative. Brian was always close to his mum and the scent of lavender sparks beautiful memories of her in the garden. So, our team suggested a meaningful trip to Norfolk Lavender where he could learn more about the fragrant plant and share even more memories with us.

We spent the day exploring the 100 acres of lavender fields, smelling all the fragrant flowers and meeting the various animals in the animal garden. On our way home, Daphne, a respite resident, suggested we stop off at Mcdonald's and of course we obliged.
Brian said, "The trip has brought my mum back to me. I have vivid memories of her next to the lavender bushes and all the things we did together. They're such happy memories. Thank you!".