Activities at Ottley House Care Home
At Ottley House, we offer a person-centred activities programme, and aim to match residents' abilities and interests with meaningful activities of the correct degree of challenge that promotes their health and well-being. We also provide visual, tactile, audible and olfactory sensory experiences. There are weekly music/movement therapy sessions, 'Oomph' sessions, and arts & crafts classes to help improve, maintain and refine motor skills. We enjoy regular visits from entertainers, musicians and animal therapists, as well as pub nights, 'food from around the world' days, and minibus outings to places of interest.
Cath Smallman
Hi, I'm Cath, the Activities Coordinator here at Ottley House. My days are spent making sure that the residents in the home have an interesting and active social programme to enjoy each day. Residents individual preferences are considered all the time in a person centred approach and I welcome feedback from families too.
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 Ottley House Care Home
John's Trip To Shrewsbury Town FC Grounds
John Draycott is one of our residents on Memory Lane. He played centre half for Shrewsbury Town FC for 5 years. He played in the promotion winning team in 1958/59 season and he was awaiting to sign for Aston Villa but was unfortunately diagnosed with TB and had to cut his career short. He did not play for Shrewsbury again after that but did play football until he was 42 mainly in the Welsh league for LLaniloes and Rhader. We arranged for him to have a tour at Shrewsbury Town FC which he thoroughly enjoyed along with his wife and daughter Sam. He married Dianne in 1975 at Shrewsbury Registry Office and had 9 children. He has currently 44 grand children and one more on the way. He has lived in Shrewsbury all of his life, working at Shropshire council as an electrician.
Yolanda's Dancing Troupe
We arranged for The Diddie Dancers from Shrewsbury to come along to Ottley House to surprise one of our residents who used to teach dance. Yolande Laurens was born in 1931 in Greenfields, Shrewsbury, along with her one sister and brother. Her father was in the navy but was killed In the 2nd World War. She married Frank when she was 21 and they bought a caravan and lived behind The woodman Pub in Coton Hill where she started a small dance club. A dance troupe was formed along with some of her friends. Yo went on to have 3 children where her daughter also danced. "Ladies called Grace Phillips and Eileen Welsby made the costumes. We used to visit different places in the country doing Pantomines, Nursing Homes, Fetes and Carnivals", Yo told us. Ottley House decided to surprise Yo with a dance troupe and she thoroughly enjoyed it along with some of our other residents.
International Women's Day
Residents at Ottley House marked International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th by spending the day celebrating the achievements of wonderful trail-blazing women throughout history.
Residents took part in discussions about the role of the many different women who have shaped history from Cleopatra and Boudica to Florence Nightingale and Marie Curie right through to the Queen and Mrs Thatcher. They talked about the important women in their own lives and celebrated the achievements of their fellow residents.
Resident Gwen commented: “It is amazing to think how much things have changed just in my lifetime, when I was younger there were so many things it was deemed inappropriate for women to do. It is wonderful that women have so many more opportunities these days and days like this are so important to make sure we keep going in the right direction.”
Valentine's Day at Ottley House
It was Valentines Day on Tuesday 14th Feb. The Head Chef laid on a super 3 course meal for our residents and roses were handed out to them all. We had a sing song in our café lounge which they really enjoyed.
A visit from Shrewsbury School Pupils
Shrewsbury School pupils visited us on Thursday 16th Feb. They pupils who were practising with their instruments and singing. Our residents loved it.
Happy Birthday Mary!
We celebrated Marys birthday on Sunday 19th Feb. Her birthday was actually on Thursday 16th Feb. Her family came together and we put on a small buffet and a cake for them. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
