Activities at South Chowdene Care Home

Residents had a good laugh throughout the weekend as staff dressed up (residents had a go too) and chefs made delicious Easter traditional favourites throughout the weekend with special Easter themed snacks on the tea trolley. Residents particularly loved the hot cross buns which now come in many more flavours than they used to (a good excuse to have to try another half!).

This year, residents’ Easter gifts came fully home made with Skye Sharp knitting Chicks which held a chocolate and Pouches which contained a few Easter themed goodies as well as a Chuck on a nest with chocolate eggs made by Louise. A huge thank you to both for all your very hard work. Residents really appreciated all the work that went into these presents, especially those who have knitted in the past. It sparked some great discussions around knitting skills and what used to be routinely knitted as part of everyday life.

Residents very much enjoyed reminiscing around their Elizabeth Taylor memories, discussing the heart throbs she has played alongside and then watched ‘A place in the sun’ accompanied by their choice of popcorn. Residents discussed the picture houses locally & in neighbouring Newcastle, films were such a big part of the week’s events, especially a Saturday morning show. A big discussion focussed on the relationship through marriage between Elizabeth & Doris Day, another famous film star. Residents were then excited to have popcorn, they were offered a choice of popcorn & the sweet all butter was the popular choice more than the toffee popcorn. Then on to drinks, wine, juice, sherry, shandy & of course tea.

After the film there were many smiling faces, not sure how much the alcohol added to their pleasure but staff thought it was a beautiful outcome for all.

Both St David’s and St Patrick ’s Day saw residents making, tasting, quizzing and sharing knowledge (not to mention a lot of laughs). We learnt how to make Welsh cakes through YouTube, we then cheated a bit by purchasing them at Sainsbury’s. Residents, visitors & staff very much enjoyed sampling them . We got creative and dressed the ‘seasons tree’ with Welsh related trinkets. We also sampled music from the two countries – very relaxing. To decorate the home we bought daffodils, this brought a welcome splash of colour & a glimpse of spring around the corner.

Quizzes focussed on the countries, history, culture, humour, music & famous people from each country. Gaelic language & how it was part of many regions within the British Isles & into France in the Bretton region.

Head chef Lynne made sure meals followed the theme with some delicious Welsh and Irish favourites as discussed & chosen with residents.

Mothering Sunday was a bit different in South Chowdene this year. Resident's loved ones visited as essential care givers to share their appreciation of the role of their loved ones as Mothers, Grandmothers & greatgrandmothers. The home smells sweetly of flowers & the bedrooms are a rainbow of colours. We hope to extend this in spring with some planting in the rear garden to enhance the look & function of the outside space.

Residents very much enjoyed a little tipple and some extra delicious refreshments on the tea trolley as they received bunches of daffodils which have really cheered up individual bedrooms and the home in general. Men were not excluded from joining in the celebration of women in their many roles.

Our residents were treated to a special virtual sensory storytelling session.  Together with Art Historian Jon Sleigh and the Historic Royal Palaces community team, we explored several royal palaces through the theme of food, dining and celebration!

We enjoyed a fantastic taste-a-long experience from the comfort of our home, from Tudor treats to Stuart sweets. A lovely time was had by all.

Across our services, our residents had a lovely time joining Mark Piesing for an exciting virtual event to discuss his book ‘N-4 Down: The Hunt for The Arctic Airship Italia’.

Our residents were thrilled to find out more about the book and the fascinating story of the world-famous exploring airship Italia, returning from the North Pole on May 24, 1928. The airship was struck by a terrible storm and crashed somewhere over the Arctic ice, triggering the largest polar rescue mission in history.

The virtual book club experience was truly enjoyed by all.