Activities at Rivermead Care Home

Today at Rivermead we celebrated Christmas in style, thanks to the organisation skills of Vixx and Layla.  Our Christmas Party began with a spectacular Christmas performance from Matt, followed by a Christmas Quiz where each resident won a prize donated by resident Vera’s family, finished off with a karaoke performance by our carers and our head chef Sarah. We were also serenaded by resident Andy with Layla as his back up singer.

Massive thank you to Sofina Food Inc. AKA the bacon factory in malton for making 30 members of #teamrivermead very happy on their breaks. They've donated bacon sandwiches, cans of pop, crisps and chocolate. Thank you so much for your festive good will gesture. It is very much appreciated by all. Merry Christmas

Truffle-making was the work enjoyed by Rivermead residents yesterday after they had watched an online workshop. These were the chocolate truffles, however, not the kind sniffed and dug up by specially trained pigs, but the chocolate variety first created by bon viveur Louis Dufour on Christmas Day in 1895 in Chambray, Normandy, and much appreciated around the world ever since.

Thus we gathered round the glimmering Rivermead telly and watched as Paul and Steve of Unilever explained how these gooey Gallic treats are made. After preparing the soft sweet centre and rolling it into balls, the residents could then choose different coatings: desiccated coconut, vermicelli, chopped nuts and white chocolate crumbs. They were a great success. ’Don’t they look dainty,’ murmured Georgina, putting them into little paper cases, and staff and residents soon made them all disappear!

Next it was time to run, run as fast as you can… or rather, decorate freshly made gingerbread men with smiles and buttons, and this the residents did with icing and Smarties. ‘I feel quite proud of these,’ quipped Chas, and these little gingerbread men soon ‘ran out’ as well…

We experienced the magic of the Nutcracker with a special interactive workshop led by English National Ballet Associate Artists.

Our residents were able to take a magical journey thorough Edwardian London and to learn more about the enchanted Nutcracker characters: Clara, the Mouse King, and her valiant Nutcracker doll.

The session included a chair-based dance workshop, clips of the ballet on stage and a Christmas carol sing-along, truly enjoyed by all.

We had a lovely time joining Paul Hawkins and Steve Wilkes from Unilever for an exciting immersive Christmas experience.

Our residents were welcomed with chocolate treats as Paul and Steve took them on an exciting chocolate truffle making and biscuit decorating journey.

To finish off the Christmas special event, our residents enjoyed a themed quiz and a singalong.

We all had a wonderful time.

Yes, put your paws together and give a warm welcome to Rivermead’s festive competition, launched today! Please send us photographs of your pets in their best festive outfits. It could be your kitten in a Christmas kilt, your pet piglet in a blanket, the old dog with reindeer antlers or of course your horse dressed as Father Christmas! Give your imagination free rein and have some fun, take a good picture and send it to    rivermead.activities@barchester.com

Our residents will be judging the results on Wednesday 22nd December and the prize is a Christmas HAMPER! Good Luck, and we look forward to perusing your perfect pet pix!