Volunteeringfor the greater good

Autumn News 2010

Wellburn House • Glenholme Residential & Day Care • Eighton Lodge • Whorlton Grange • Rosevale • Ryton TowersHeatherdale • Craghall • St. George’s • Grimston Court • Riverhead Hall • St. Catherines • Garden House • Nightingale Hall

Not just a one man bandBaby Chicks A golden moment Barking up the wrong tree

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In Britain we have a proud history ofrolling up our sleeves and volunteeringfor the greater good, from the legion ofBritish Red Cross and Order of St Johnvolunteers who served both home andoverseas in various roles during WorldWar 2, through to the way peoplerespond with selfless acts followingtragedies like the 7th July bombings.

In November 2009 heavy rain causedserious flooding in many parts of Cumbria,leaving thousands of peoples’ homes andbusiness ruined. The volunteer army soonsprang into action, handing out food andrefreshments to affected families, or goinginto homes to rescue personal belongings.The Red Cross were on hand for medicalemergencies, Age UK helped shakenelderly people and a new organisation,Street Angels was set up to offer supportwhen the water subsided and peopleattempted to return to their homes.A local doctor, John Howarth, saw thisvolunteer effort as a blueprint for a new kindof care network and a living example of whatPrime Minister David Cameron now calls thebig society.

His view was echoed byProfessor John McKnight,an American public healthspecialist who mentoredPresident Barack Obamain his early days as acommunity organiser inChicago. Prof McKnight’sphilosophy is that insteadof looking at the communityas a negative with ‘needs’ for this and that,you should see it as a positive, full of skills,resources and assets.

At Wellburn Care Homes we also believethat the communities in which we operatecan play a big part in helping others in a lessfortunate position than themselves. We havea number of volunteer opportunitiesavailable in our homes and are committedto ensuring that every volunteer has a richand fully rewarding experience.

Voluntary work can range from simplyspending an hour talking to a resident ortaking them out for a walk, through tohelping with a day trip to a local attractionor event.

While many of our residents have a largesupport network in the shape of friends andfamilies, there are others who unfortunatelydo not, so by spending some time with them,not only would people find it very rewarding,they would be making a real difference tothe lives of the elderly people in our care.

A CHARITABLE DONATIONWe were delighted, inSeptember, to present£400 to Lifespan, a North-East charity that providesa unique service forpeople with serious andlife-threatening illnesses.

The charity’s caring work is carried out by a small,dedicated, permanent and very experienced teamwho are able to offer continuity and flexibility to meetthe patient and their family and carers’ needs.

Most of this support is provided in the patients’home, with complementary therapies, such asmassage, aromatherapy and acupuncture beinggiven to help ease pain.

Lifespan also provides counselling services topatients and their families, respite care and advice onareas like nutrition.

Pet lambs bring spring cheerResidents at Garden House in Berwickhad a spring in their step after being visitedby a pet lamb.Everyone spent a few hours feeding andplaying with Maisie the Lamb, who is beingreared at the nearby Conundrum Farm.

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GENERAL NEWS

Garden Housebuilding work updateWellburn Care Homes have spent£1.4 million and over two yearspainstakingly restoring our newesthome, Garden House, to a standardthat we are renowned for.The new-look Garden House, which issituated in the seaside town of Spittal,near Berwick-upon-Tweed, has beencompletely modernised and extendedsince the property was purchased in 2008.

The work included, completely modernisingand refurbishing existing rooms andadding three new extensions, includinga three-storey building, which has takenthe number of bedrooms from 24 to 36.

The vast majority of the high quality,high specification rooms are en-suite.

A major landscaping programme hasalso been undertaken to allow residentsto benefit from living so close to the sea.A glass screen has been erected at theedge of the patio, to ensure residentshave uninterrupted views when they areoutside and a new water feature alsoadds to the impressive outdoor area.

One of the three refurbished loungeseven includes a bar for the residents.

Residents remained in the home whilstthe work has been going on and we wentto great lengths to ensure any disruptionwas kept to an absolute minimum.

Due to its compact location and thefact residents have remained inthe home while the work was carriedout, the refurbishment was far fromstraightforward. The back of thebuilding is on a steep hillside and thisprovided a challenge for the architectsand builders when installing a new patiothat can be accessed from one of thethree new lounges.

Davey Dryden, Wellburn Care Homes’Technical Manager, said: “We haveovercome real challenges in buildingplanning and design to provide ahigh quality Home that Wellburn issynonymous for.”

When working with people with dementia,the starting point is to recognise the needto meet the person with dementia, at thepoint where they are in their state ofawareness and functioning.

Time spent getting to know and understandthe individual is essential, if the activitiesprovided are to be constructive and therapeuticand possible harm avoided . The activityorganiser has to develop a heightened alertnessto the evidence that emerges during timesof interaction.Activity is about interaction between people, orbetween a person and his environment. Weare told that communication is only in theregion of 10% words, therefore 90% iscomposed of non-verbal stimuli. We know thatthe person with dementia is losing their abilityto use words; the brain function needed toaccess vocabulary and to form sentences isbeing lost, though not so the mechanics ofspeech making until much later. In these earlystages especially, what is needed is space andtime to do the best they can, accompanied bya patient, listening ear.As the use of language deteriorates further, theimportance of non-verbal communicationincreases. Body language, facial expressionand touch take on greater significance andneed to be consciously applied. Dementia has been described as a returnjourney through the stages of humandevelopment, the independence andfunctional capacity of mature years diminishingover the course of the condition to early

developmental levels. This provides a frameworkon which to base the choice of activities,although we should avoid therefore assuminga person has ‘returned to childhood,’ whichmight negate the person’s long adult life story. As the learned social skills are lost, the personwith dementia responds increasingly tomore immediate and physically interactiveoccupations. The bean bag throw, the floortarget, the skittles, the bowling, are all veryvisual, physical and stimulating. A limitedconcentration span is not over challenged andif the session is carried out in the right spirit ofencouragement and celebration of anysuccess, then there is fun to be enjoyed. It ispart of the activity organiser’s task to create the‘atmosphere’ which is stimulating and releasing. Activities which involve touch, smells, soundsand sight are also important, such as thesmells of foods, gardening, whether inside orout, providing opportunities for the feel and

smell of damp earth, the texture of soil or thescents of flowers and leaves.This brings us to creativity; the easily preparedfruit salad is creative as well as stimulating, theflower arrangement makes the room morepleasant for others, the bedding plants outsidethe window provide new and added colour.Other fail-safe crafts can be offered, such asclay or salt dough, painting, stencilling orsimple needle work.Exercise for the body is always essential andgoing for a walk should feature on care plansmore often. The walk to the shops for a fewitems for the kitchen perhaps, or freshtoiletries, or a walk around the garden is anactivity with many benefits. Whilst physicallybeneficial, people with dementia will alsobenefit from the stimulation of the change ofenvironment, colours, shapes and smells, thememory triggers of previous.Everyday domestic tasks such as washing up,dusting, folding laundry, sorting socks andlaying tables can also help, as in a residentialsetting there will be some who respond andbenefit from being included in the ‘running’ ofthe Home. The needs of the person with dementia reachbeyond making allowances for the physicallimitations. To provide an activity programmefor people with dementia, the activity organisermust address the inner person; thepsychological and the emotional elements ofthis vulnerable group.By Sylvia Gaspar (adapted from an article inthe NAPA living life magazine, autumn 2010).

Providing activities - for people with dementia

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GENERAL HEAD OFFICE NEWS

A Day in the life

Karl recently spent a day experiencinglife as a Wellburn resident.He spent a full day at Riverhead Hall andHeatherdale as part of an initiative toensure standards remain high at all ourHomes, as well as ensuring managerscontinue to understand the human sideof our business.These ‘day in the life of’ visits willrequire senior Wellburn staff to take onthe ‘role’ of an elderly person, meaning,

for example, they may have to spend theentire day in a wheelchair, relying onothers to help them.They will be required to follow the sameroutine as the other residents in theHome, including taking part in the dailyactivities, having meals at the same timeand if necessary, even being escorted tothe toilet and bed.Karl spent his day at Riverhead in awheelchair, which included him having tobe hoisted out of his chair at varioustimes during his stay. He also slept in theHome and joined in with the residents’regular activities.At Heatherdale, Karl had to use azimmer frame to move around and hesaid both visits had given him a“phenomenal experience”.“My visit was only announced to staff24 hours beforehand, but at the end ofthe day it was clear there is real familyfeeling among both residents and staff atboth Homes.“There were also lessons to be learned,and we will now be looking to purchase aminibus for the Yorkshire region to helpget even more of our residents out andabout. This will help further improve theactivity programme we offer them.”

Interview withDavey Dryden,Technical ManagerPersonal Details:Married to Janice and have one daughterand two twin boys

Q.When did you join Wellburn and why a carehome company?

A. I joined Beckett Homes in 1985 as the SiteJoiner, so it was before Wellburn CareHomes even existed. I thought they were agood Company at the time and I needed ajob. I’ve been here ever since, including atime when I was self employed and workedfor the Company as a supplier renovatingand restoring the Care Homes we own. Myjob now is to make sure that all our Homesare maintained and developed to a veryhigh standard.

Q. If you could go anywhere in the world wherewould it be?

A. I would love to go to Canada, to visit theNiagara Falls, or take a cruise down theNile to see the Pyramids. Probably with mylovely wife.

Q.What are your aspirations for the company?A. I hope Wellburn never grows too large as an

organisation, and that we always retain ourfamily orientated culture. I would like thebusiness to always think of our elderlyresidents as a first priority.

Q.What is your classic movie of all time?A. The Shawshank Redemption (hear hear..

Editor) and Forrest Gump.My wife will watch every repeat ofShawshank despite having seen it manytimes before. I love the actors and the story –and that it ends happily.

Q. If you could time travel what era would yougo to?

A. I’d love to be a Mediaeval Baron or a RomanSoldier. But I’d prefer to be wealthy ratherthan poor!! I like both these times because ofthe battles and amazing history associatedwith the people.

Q.What do you enjoy doing in your time off?A. My wife bought me some golf clubs for my

birthday and I now play regularly atStocksfield Club – in fact people say I’mgetting better every time I play, so maybe youwill see me at the Masters or the Open oneday!!! But I really enjoy spending time withmy family, reading good books and going tothe Movies, when I’m not on the golf course.

Q.What is your favourite car?A. If I won the lottery I’d buy an Aston Martin –

but if not then I would settle for a Mercedesany day.

Q. In the care industry what do you think is themost important thing to remember?

A. We should remember that we will all beolder one day and this should influence howwe look after all our residents now and in thefuture. I always make a point of talking toour residents whenever I visit our Homes –it makes a difference to someone every timeand reminds you that they love to see newpeople and talk to them too.

Q. If you could give any advise to a young childwhat would it be?

A. Stick in at your education, enjoy this time andget qualified in something you enjoy. Explorethe new possibilities of NVQ's whilst youwork. I was lucky - Wellburn gave me a greatopportunity when I was young, but I still wishI had stayed on at school and exploredalternative educational opportunities.

Rosevale Improvement WorkImprovement work to our RosevaleCare Home has proved a real labourof love for everyone concerned.The company has spent, to date, over £250,000 on thestriking Georgian property in Wiggington near York andby the time all the work is completed around £1.5 millionwill have been invested.The conservatory that looks out on the gardens has beenrevamped, with the help of new double glazing and asolid insulated roof, ensuring it can now be comfortablyused by residents in both summer and winter, so that itno longer feels like being in a greenhouse. In one of the residents’ lounges, also known as the library,the old fireplace has been removed and replaced with anew fire including a handmade mahogany surround.In the second lounge, the transformation has been evengreater. A bay window has been removed and extendedto form a garden room sitting area, complete with patiodoors for easy access to the well tendered gardens. Twoopenings have been formed either side of a chimneybreast, creating two wood paneled arches in keeping withthe Georgian architecture of Rosevale.Handmade bricks have been retained from the newopenings to form a feature fireplace, complete with awood burning stove and the mantelpiece has beencrafted from a 300-year-old piece of reclaimed solid oak. Elsewhere, three en-suite bedrooms have been created anda hairdressing salon has been built. Internally, the work hasalso included creating an office and installing an eightperson lift, both of which are extremely useful additions.

Externally, a new patio has been created using the Yorkstone from the old patio. As the new patio has beenextended, this involved Wellburn’s DevelopmentManager, David Robinson, visiting reclamation yards tofind the same type of stone.A new water feature has also been added and in keepingwith the project’s ethos of reusing existing or naturalproducts, a large lump of natural stone has beentransformed into a fountain. The base of the fountain hasbeen finished off with pebbles and stone edging.

David said: “Throughout the project to date we have beencommitted to ensuring that the materials we have usedare in keeping with the Georgian nature of Rosevale andthe feedback from residents and staff has been fantastic.”Rosevale Manager Nikki Durrant said: “The residents’faces have lit up when they have seen the variouschanges unfolding before their eyes. The people that come in for Respite Care have evencompared it to being on holiday and staying in a five-star hotel, there is no greater compliment they couldmake than this.”There is still plenty more for residents to get excitedabout as further stages of the Rosevale improvementcontinue. Future work includes modernising all thebedrooms and installing another lift.

UPCOMING NewsWe would like to announce 2010 Wellburn’sGot Talent. We look forward to seeing you allon Tuesday 23rd November at the IrishCentre. After the performances there will bea buffet, bar and local band Rolling Rock willagain play to conclude the entertainment forthe evening.

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WELLBURN HOUSE

New ResidentsWarm welcome to:Pebby HerrickWinnie YoungJohn ClarkElla WillisMaisie FisherDoreen Patterson

NVQ Congratulations to:Carla TerronePeny GrayKaren KynastonMichelle TurnerFor passing their NVQ Level 2.

Welcome BackWellburn House would like to say a hugewelcome back to our missed TeamLeader, Ann McGee after being on sickleave. It’s great to have you back Ann!

New StaffWellburn House would like to welcome Our new Cooks – Jan and JimOur new Kitchen Assistant – Sue

Summer BBQFriday 16th July 2010 This year, for our annual Summer BBQ,the weather held up for us so we wereable to have it outside. The nightfeatured entertainment from TJ Kingand Paula Zest. The Al Jolson Showfeaturing A I Ritchie. Fabulous foodcooked by our two new cooks Jan andJim, a tombola, a raffle and not forgettingthe bouncy castle! A fantastic night spentsinging and dancing, enjoyed byresidents, families and staff!

Joyce Ayers and her daughter June

Alice giving us a wave.

Doreen, Winnie and Ella after enjoyinga picnic.

Horse&Carriage

On Sunday 1st August, a group of ourresidents were taken to Bywell to enjoya horse and carriage ride around thevillage and the surrounding villages. Afun day enjoyed by all.

Wallington HallAnnually our Home is invited toWallington Hall’s Summer Picnic. Thisyear a group of residents and staffenjoyed a walk around Wallingtonand the gardens, Scottish musicand dancing and then a picnic inthe gardens.

Activities aroundResidents sitting outside in our first bitof sunshine.

Easter FUN

On Good Friday we had theentertainment of “Magic Moments” –two ladies with a washing line.

An afternoon of reminiscence and funhad by all – especially for all ourNortherners with memories of those

seaside sandwiches!On Easter Sunday we had morningentertainment of SG Productions!

Lots of costume changes and singing –we all had fun singing along to some

Al Jolson favourites!

On Easter Monday we had our EasterBonnet Parade. Staff, residents andfamilies joined together to produce a

collection of fun and artistic hats.The afternoon finished off with our

Easter Raffle.

Birthdays

Madge, Bea, Dorothyand Margaret all enjoyeda trip to see the animalswith our staff Sara andCarla. An afternoon of

feeding the animals finished off witha cup of tea.

Outin gsHighlandCattle Centre

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Beatrice otherwise known as Bettyfirst came to Wellburn House on the4th September 2008. Initially comingin for short breaks and then decidingto make Wellburn her home.Having spent the Christmas period withfamily Betty was returning to WellburnHouse. It was evening time on Tuesday 29thDecember 2009, Betty was travelling fromPonteland with her daughter Susan. Theyhadn’t been travelling far when a vehiclecoming in the opposite direction lost controland collided into them. Betty had to be cut from the wreckage!Betty was admitted into Newcastle GeneralHospital where she was found to have a tornaorta, punctured lung and puncturedoesophagus. The future was looking bleak,

Betty was put onto a ventilatorand was given a slim chanceof recovery.Several days later Susan wastold by the doctor that herreturning to Wellburn Housewould be very unlikely, so thedifficult decision was made toterminate the room.Betty was still a very big partof our family, we visited her inthe hospital and although shewas unable to speak we couldstill converse with her using acommunication board.Several weeks later Betty wastransferred to the HighDependency Unit atNewcastle’s Royal VictoriaInfirmary. Following the

ventilator being removed she was now ableto speak. It was amazing, after all thetrauma she had experienced she could stillremember the name of every resident andmember of staff at Wellburn House, shewould always ask after everyone.A few weeks later again Betty wastransferred to the Freeman Hospital, it wasat this time she was at her lowest point, hergoal was to return to her friends at Wellburnand although she could now stand shecouldn’t manage to walk, her goal to returnto Wellburn was slipping away. However, with patience and determinationBetty slowly began to improve and again wastransferred this time to Walkergate Hospital. It was at Walkergate Hospital Betty celebratedher 90th birthday surrounded by her familyand staff from Wellburn House. It was a

proud moment, a landmark Betty neverdreamt she would reach. This reinstated hergoal – to get back home to Wellburn!Betty was determined and pushed herselfto the limit, slowly and gradually she beganto walk again. Eventually on Wednesday23rd June 2010 Betty returned home – sixmonths after her accident. On the morning of Betty’s expected arrivalher room was decorated with ‘WelcomeHome’ banners and balloons as was thefront of the home. The ambulance arrived,all the staff rushed to welcome Betty withflowers and cards – the paramedicscouldn’t believe the welcome she received,in fact another elderly lady in the ambulancesaid she had wished she was coming backhome to Wellburn!Later in the afternoon residents and staffenjoyed a lovely chocolate cake madeespecially by the cook to welcome Bettyback home.Everyone knew what this day meant to Betty– a day she had dreamt and fought for.Everyone came together that afternoon todemonstrate to Betty how special she is tous all and to welcome one of our familyback home.

Betty’s Words:‘I was always looking forward to comingback to Wellburn House. For me therewas no alternative – this was my homeand no matter what, in my mind italways would be. Being back home atWellburn now I know the rest of my dayswill be peaceful and happy, surroundedby the girls I call my family’

Mrs Betty Bishop story

Joan Bushby from St CatherinesJoan has resided at St Catherine’s for thepast 3 years. Joan likes reading books inher room, usually in the afternoon. Herfavourite author is Catherine Cookson.Unfortunately Joan finds it increasinglydifficult to read at this time due to hereyesight failing and is due to have hercataracts removed in the near future.

FLOOD TIDE by Kay Thorpe (Large Print)

The book is set in modern times and is centred ontwo people, Dale and Jo who inadvertently findthemselves caught in a raging storm whichcauses flooding to the place where they live. Theyfind themselves falling in love with each other,even though both have partners already. The bookdramatically tells the readers of their growingrelationship with all the ups and downs theyencounter along the way. The climax of the bookis that, through all the turbulent times of theirrelationship, they can not possibly ever betogether for the rest of their lives and they bothreturn to their previous relationships.The flood is symbolic of the tide of emotions thatengulf the two main characters, Dale and Jo. Joan really enjoyed reading this book and wouldrecommend it to other people, especially thosewho find it hard to read as it had large print.

Book Club BOOK REVIEWLacal Outten from Whorlton GrangeMeg Hutchinson is a great author forthose who love to lose their self inromance where the poor girl meets a richman and they cross the difference insocial status.Books: Wonton Red Head

For the Love of Her ChildPit Bank Wench

These books captured me and also mademe cry.

Kelley Armstronge is another author Ican’t get enough of. Kelley is a fictionwriter and sometimes writes entirebooks/stories. Kelly’s books are full ofromance, action, horror and magic. Sheknows how to bring a story to life and getyou seeing everything you read in herbooks. Once you pick up her book, youcan never put it down.Books: Woman of Another World

Dimstone MagicDarkest Powers

I would rate allfive stars.

Elizabeth Moffett85 years old– 15th AprilThelma Bewick89 years old– 11th AprilConstance Sharp97 years old– 17th April

Winnie Young88 years old– 8th AprilMargaret Lister103 years old– 22nd AprilIvy Comon90 years old

RingtonsandWellburn

Ringtons have teamed up with WellburnCare Homes to provide you with the verybest in teas, coffees and biscuits. You mayalso notice a Ringtons Salesperson visitingyour home every so often - make sure youlook out for his basket full of treats!

We were invited for a dig around the Ringtonsarchive and came across this photo, which wethink is from around 1940. The photo was takenat one of Ringtons’ famous Tea Dances and wasattended by the founder of the family run teamerchant, Samuel Smith. Do you recogniseanyone on the photo? Have you even been to aRingtons Tea Party?

Ringtons would love to hear all your Ringtonsstories, please send them to Sarah-JaneThompson, Marketing, Ringtons Ltd,FREEPOST NEA 2653, Newcastle, NE6 2YN

Wellburn Autumn News 2010 Page 7Wellburn Autumn News 2010

One of the carers Kelly asked me if I would like to goout on a trip, I was a little bit apprehensive but shetwisted my arm. I am glad she did!I and four other Residents set off with Kelly, Gemma andMichael who drove the bus to Kielder, it was a long drive but thescenery was beautiful. When we arrived it was a glorious day,we spent some time walking around taking photographs andlooking at the amazing views before going for lunch.It was a very enjoyable day and I am glad I went. I would like tosay thanks to the staff for their help and support and lookforward to the next trip.

One of the manyactivities at Craghall

MY DAY OUT at KIELDER– by Anne Dwyer

Activities

Craghall took the residents out with Michael to theTall Ships event at Hartlepool…

Congratulations to:Kelly Thirkheld, Anduijana Bogevic and Gemma Nettletonfor achieving their NVQ 2.

A big Hello and Welcome to:Dawn Regan – Team LeaderRosamond Johnson – Care AssistantGemma Thorne – Team LeaderSharon Feenham – Care AssistantJoanne McKenna – Care Assistant

A big Goodbye to Maxine Nichol

CRAGHALL

Other activities that have been going on in-house are:• Tasting afternoons• Flower arranging• Quiz evenings• And other activities like exercise class, Arts & Crafts

and Aromatherapy

We have also been out with Michael recently, the tripshave been to:• Sunderland Greyhounds• The Cost Rendevous Café• Metro Centre/Eldon Square

As always Craghall has been buzzing with activitiessince our last Newsletter. Our main addition to ouractivities has been our resident rabbit – Fluffy.We got Fluffy in March when she was only six weeks old. OurResidents love her and she brings enjoyment to all. Fluffy livesin our garden with her own little house and run. Fluffy is notseven months old and is thriving. Below is Anne Hunter’saccount of having Fluffy as a new addition to Craghall.“I love seeing Fluffy, we’ve had her since being a baby andeveryday she comes inside for a hop aroundthe lounge. Everyone enjoys seeing Fluffybecause it takes us back to our childhood andgets us chatting about when we had pets.Fluffy has grown since we got her and looks likeshe is going to get a lot bigger. We look forwardto seeing her grow throughout the years”

Anne Hunter

ST CATHERINE’S

St Catherine’s Nursing home in Shiptonnear York made the most of a gloriousJune afternoon with a Strawberry Tea forits residents and relatives. Residents fromboth the nursing area and the dementiaunit were joined by residents from near byRosevale residential home to celebratethe wonders of Strawberries.The event was held on the 5th June at 2pmand started with a cup of tea and sparklingwine followed by a marvellous mixture ofstrawberry favourites made by StCatherine’s two chefs Nick and Sarah whoalso made some other tea time treats forthose people who did not like strawberries.Our. ‘resident’ strawberry girl was on handto assist and bring a smile to all thosepresent.The event was in aid of the resident’s fund,which enables residents to go on outingsonce a week to various places aroundYorkshire. Residents and their relatives enjoyed theafternoon and requested similar eventsthroughout the summer months. A bigthank you to all of the staff and resident’sfamily and friends for their support inmaking the event a pleasure and a success.

Sam Scorer:

Florrie Clark

StrawberryTea BBQ at St.Catherine’s

When our grand-daughter, Sarah Peacockand her fiancé, Darren Phillips, sent out theinvitations for their wedding on the 22nd ofMay, they sent one to my 96 year old Mum,Florrie Clark at St George’s in Harraton,Washington. Because she had a stroke in2009, she is confined to a wheelchair and weknew that she should be unable to attendthe reception, but Hazel Khan, manager atSt Georges, very kindly arranged suitabletaxis too and from the wedding ceremony atSt John’s Church in Ashbrooke, Sunderland.The staff at St George’s arranged for thehairdresser and dressed her in her finery(including her “lippy”). It was a pleasure forall of us to see her there. Having sufferedfrom dementia for the last two years, wedidn’t think she fully understood what wasgoing on, but Sarah and Darren really madea fuss of her and everyone was pleased tosee her there.None of us thought that it mattered that shemay not have been aware of what was goingon as it was obvious that she was happybeing with the family and friends altogether.The weather could not have been better if wehad ordered it. It was beautiful day all round.So our thanks, from all of the family, go tothe weather man, to all the staff andespecially to Hazel and to Tracey, who washer carer for the day. Tracey could not havedone any better at all.Altogether, a wonderful day and a job welldone by everyone concerned.Jack Clark

Sam Scorer was born October 1926 inWashington. He had three youngersiblings; sister Nancy and twins Billyand Edith. He always enjoyed footballand joined the school team. At the ageof 15, Sam joined the Colliery where helearned joinery and also continued toplay for his school team.

Sam was spotted by a talent scout andpaid £10 to sign up to play for CharltonAthletic, but played professionally forSunderland at the age of 18. As Samworked down the pit during the war, hewas exempt from being called up, thisallowed him to play football for severalteams around the North East.

Sam enjoyed sports and took up Footrunning, which his uncle signed him upfor using his mother’s maiden name ofRobson. He won some money which hegave to his mother, she was angry as shedidn’t like gambling. Following that sheburned his running shoes so he couldn’tdo it again.

Sam was made redundant from thecolliery in 1950 and started work as ajoiner at Huwoods where he mademining equipment. In 1953 Sam wasoffered a job with Tyne Tees as acarpenter, he then went on to makescenery, props and special effects –working on programs such as the Tube,Supergran, and the One O’clock Show.Whilst working for Tyne Tees, Sam hasmet people such as Diana Doors, SpikeMilligan and many other stars of the day.In 1985 Sam took voluntary redundancyand retired. After retirement he returnedto work part time at Canfords makingstudio furniture.

Sam also enjoyed singing and in 1947took up singing lessons. He and his wifejoined the local operatic society and sangwith choirs in churches and also at localconcerts and dinners; they enteredNorth East singing tournaments, wherethey won a few. Sam joined an all malegroup The Keelmen and sang at dinnersand local churches around the North East.

Sam met his wife Doris at a churchyouth group in 1947 and married in1949, they had two children, Peter in1954 and Jill in 1961. Last year Sam andDoris celebrated their diamond weddinganniversary where they were joined byfamily, friends and staff of St Georges.

On the 17th July St Catherine's held theirsummer BBQ. The morning’s preparationswhere hindered by winds & heavy rain, not thebest weather for putting up marquees &gazebos, however by 2pm all had dried& the sun shone for the remainder of the day,greeting our residents & many family & friends.Sizzling sausages, burgers & spicy chicken,with various side dishes of rice, pasta & othergoodies followed by luscious deserts all made

by our chef Nick were enjoyed by all. Nick alsocooked the food on the BBQ with help fromTrina & would be often lost in the smoke fromit due to the windy conditions, but they keptsmiling. Prizes for the raffle went down wellwith those that participated. They musicalentertainment was enjoyed by all & the loungewas very full.A very BIG thank you to all of the staff thathelped make the day such a pleasure & success.All proceeds from the event went to theResidents’ Funds.So once again a very big thank you to all.

ST GEORGES

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EIGHTON LODGE

The weather was blazing hot sunshineand we were able to have a walk nearthe Castle.We then went to an Inn for delicious fishand chips and a glass of lager and lime.On the journey home we stopped off for anice cream. A very enjoyable day was had by everybody.

FlipboardOur new flip board has been verysuccessful with Residents, staff andfamilies.We have played Hangman, WordGames, naming all the different placeswe have been on holiday and manymore. This is certainly an excellent way toget everybody’s brain working and wehad so much fun and laughter doing allthe games.

Pink Bad Taste DayAll staff and some Residents and familydressed up in pink (bad taste) for this event.Money raised was going to the Women’sBreast Cancer Detection Society who arenow raising money to support thechange from X-ray films to digital imaging.Digital imaging speeds up the screeningprocess and improves image quality,particularly in younger women.For this event we had entertainment, allpink raffle prizes and all pink homemadefancy cakes and a lovely buffet.We raised £267.00 and this money waspresented to Mrs Brenda Gibson of theWomen’s Breast Cancer Detection Society,by one of our Residents, Nancy Stokoe.

Bede’s WorldOur Residents go to Felling CommunityCentre every Tuesday afternoon.At the Community Centre we have joinedthe “Lift off” Group enabling us all tomake new friends.This Group has just started a HistoryProject and the first of our trips was toBede’s World in Jarrow.Bede’s World is a museum, dedicated tothe life and times of Venerable Bede whowas a monk, author and scholar. We alllooked around the museum and farmafter which we had an enjoyable sconeand cups of tea in the Café. Everybody inthe Group had an enjoyable andinteresting afternoon.

Thank you to all the staff for yoursuccessful British Red Cross gardenOpen day on Sunday 18th we raised£373.00 for the Red Cross.

Long serviceaward forunion man Noel

RIVERHEAD HALL

VisitTV gardening presenter ChristineWalkden visited the home withJean Powell’s niece on 28th March.

TRAMPS BALLOn 20th June the staff at EightonLodge held a Tramps Ball.Entertainment provided by Shirley Mack.

Weekly bus tripSince June of this year, many of theresidents at Riverhead Hall havebeen enjoying a ride out on theNafferton Millennium bus everyMonday afternoon. Trips include;a ride to the local seaside resortof Bridlington, a ride throughThixendale and Millington Pastureswhere they saw some Highlandcattle, Hornsea Mere to look at theCanada geese, swans and manyvarieties of gulls and wildlife andMuston near Scarborough to viewthe large selection of scarecrowswhich are dotted around the villageeach year.

Some of the residents will be goingto Georgina Middlewood’s (niece ofMrs Jean Powell a resident in thehome) farm at Kelk to enjoy afternoontea and scones and whilst there theywill be able to look at the differentfarm animals and Mr Middlewood’scollection of steam engines.

Whitehouse FarmOur Residents had a very therapeutic andenjoyable day out at Whitehouse Farm.First we went to the Café and had ourdinner, then we went around the farmlooking at the animals and feeding someof them.There were Ponies, a Donkey, a ShireHorse, Goats, Sheep, Pigs and Piglets,Deer, Skunks, Lima’s, Meerkats andmany more animals.The day was perfect because we hadbeautiful sunshine and on the way homewe stopped off for an ice cream.

After a disappointing start to the day,residents, families and members of staffenjoyed an evening of food and drink atthe Annual Barbeque. Our thanks go toDavid Hyde for keeping up with theconstant demand for burgers, sausage

and chicken drumsticks throughout thenight. Entertainment was provided byPat and Bruce who sang many oldfavourites, which the residents were ableto sing along to.Earlier in the afternoon Dianne Hoggand carers Amanda Hemstock, AndreaGreen and kitchen assistant Bev Robsonenjoyed jumping around on the BouncyCastle. A tombola stall, cake stall,preserves stall and craft tent helped raisefunds to provide future entertainmentfor the residents.

RIVERHEAD

HALL

Barbeque and

Fun Day

29th August 20

10

Fantastic trip toBamburgh Castle– 20th May 2010

Eighton LodgeRed Cross Day

Eighton Lodge resident Noel Rust hasreceived a Long Service Award forbeing in a union for more than 70 years.

The 91-year-old was recently presentedwith a plaque by the Union ofConstruction, Allied Trades andTechnicians (UCATT). The plaque marked91-year-old Mr Rust’s remarkable 72years as a member of the union.Mr Rust, who is from Gateshead, spentall his working life as a joiner forRowntrees and he was instrumental insetting up a social fund for the poorand elderly so the company could giveout presents at Christmas – evendelivering them himself.Mr Rust retired aged 63 to look after hiswife Doris, who is now deceased, buthe continued to pay his unionsubscriptions and remained activewithin UCATT.After being presented with his LongService Award at Eighton Lodge, MrRust, who moved into the home inFebruary this year, said: “Doris wouldhave been so proud to see me get thisaward and I have been overwhelmedwith the attention I have received.”Mary Hardy, Manager of EightonLodge, said: “Although Noel hasn’tbeen in Eighton Lodge that long he hassettled in very quickly and is verypopular among residents and staff. “Everyone was delighted to see himreceive his award – it is well deserved.”

All of the staff got dressed up(or rather down) for the event. Therewas a competition for the bestdressed tramp, which was judged bythe Residents and their families.Susan Brunton won first prize andwas over the moon with her bottle ofMeths, pair of odd socks and a nearlynew carrier bag to keep her prizes in.We managed to raise just under£400.00 which was used to purchasenew garden furniture to allowresidents to enjoy our fantastic gardens.

Denise CallardComment from a family member:We must commend Mary and all thestaff, especially Janet for organisingsuch a super event for the “TrampsBall”. Well done to Janet, Denise,

Dawn, Ann, Susan and Val fordressing up (or down) for theoccasion. They all deserved a prizefor effort and hard work.

Thanks also to all the kitchen staff forthe superb spread. The food cannot befaulted.

Well done to all!Beryl & Ray Beck – for Nancy

Driffield Steam Rally – 14th AugustResidents Dennis Green, Horace Speckand Linton Parker went along to watchthe annual Driffield Steam Rally Paradethrough the town on the evening ofSaturday 14th August. Crowds lined thestreet to celebrate the 21st year of theparade and many of the participantswore fancy dress. Horace and Lintonenjoyed the atmosphere and seeingall the old steam engines, vintage

tractors and miniature engines drive alongthe street. This brought back many

happy memories of days gone by.

Page 11Wellburn Autumn News 2010Page 10Wellburn Autumn News 2010

Our Garden Houseresidents Home wasrecently struck down by abig bug and a severe caseof the butterflies.Thankfully, it only related toan organised day trip to theEdinburgh Butterfly & InsectWorld.Residents spent a full daylooking around the popularattraction in Lasswade, nearEdinburgh. They got to touch allmanner of creatures, includingbutterflies, spiders and snakes.Garden House Manager Jane Filersaid: “The residents had a great dayout and they were not fazed at all about

People living at Whorlton Grangeshowed no fear when they were visitedby some very creepy creatures.The residents got to touch a snake, giantsnail, millipede and rat as part of a‘hands on’ workshop known as ZooLab.Led by trained Rangers, ZooLab is acompany that brings strange exoticanimals into care homes and schools.The Rangers gave a talk on each animalbefore inviting the residents to touchand feel them.Whorlton Grange Deputy ManagerLinda Nolan said: “The residents allhad a really good time and they werefearless when it came to holding andtouching the animals.”

A creepy timeat Whorlton Grange

When Marion Majoribanks’s husbandAlastair was diagnosed with dementiaand had to go in a care home she madethree simple requests of staff – that hewas encouraged to play his belovedpiano, encouraged to walk and takenout on regular outings.Unfortunately, none of these thingshappened at the care home Marion hadoriginally chosen and she was also criticalof the attitude of staff and the overall stateof the home.Then, Marion discovered Garden Housein Berwick, which is owned by WellburnCare Homes.After hearing good feedback from peopleshe knew and visiting the home herself,Marion arranged for 80-year-old Alastairto be moved into Garden House in May2010. The difference, she says, betweenthe two homes is striking

“After just over a month in Garden House,Alastair is a different man,” she explains.“From day one the staff have beenabsolutely wonderful and they encourageAlastair to all the things that he enjoys,including playing the piano, which he hasdone since he was seven-years-old.“I am a trained nurse and midwife, so Iknow a lot about care and it is obvious thatthe care Alastair is receiving at GardenHouse is fantastic.“Putting Alastair in a home was one of thehardest decisions I have ever made, but itwas something I had to do because caringfrom him in our home had become a 24-hour-a-day job for me.“Whilst I regretted my decision when hewas in the first home, now he is in GardenHouse I know he is in the best handspossible.”Marion Majoribanks

Garden House -Family story

WHORLTON GRANGE

summer fayreAll residents enjoyed the Summer Fayreon 26 June 2010 which raised £258.00.They are now looking forward to theSummer BBQ on 7th August.

Pet lambs bring spring cheerGARDEN HOUSE

Ethel started singing in her late 20’s,singing in local clubs, often appearingwith local favourites Bobby Thomson andBobby Paterson and also performed inmany Charity Shows with top stars of theday, including pianist Winifred Atwelland dancer Lionel Blair.During her career we visited ButlinsHoliday Camp seven years running.Ethel won the Weekly Talent Show sixweeks out of seven. She also appeared atBabrughs Music Hall when it wasre-opened, she was asked to go on tourin Europe with a well known show BankNut at the time she was running herGeneral Dealers Shop and decided toturn down the offer. In later years sheand my father moved to HaggerstonCastle, where she was a regularperformer in the Cellar Bar, where hermixture of semi-classical and modern

day songs always received a goodreception. Even at the age of 94, if asked,she still will and can give you a song.

To sum up Ethel’s career: Great Mother,Great Wife and she could bring thosesongs to life.

Ethel Bird

The new patio areas has proved to be a greatsuccess, especially with the weather we have been havinglately, the water fountain and garden are lovely, many of ourresidents now prefer to have afternoon coffee on the patiowhich is great to see. They are also enjoying being able tocarryout a little gardening in a safe and secure environmentwhich we can already see the benefits of.

CongratulationsLacal Outen – Completing NVQ 2

New Residents:Evelyn McIntosh and James Brown

New Staff:Alison Thompson

103rd BirthdayNellie Routledge will be celebratingher 103rd Birthday on 21st September.

Residents at Garden House inBerwick had a spring in their stepafter being visited by a pet lamb.Everyone spent a few hours feeding andplaying with Maisie the Lamb, who is beingreared at the nearby Conundrum Farm.

This was the first time a lamb has beenbrought into one of our homes, althoughwe regularly encourage our residents tointeract with other animals, such as dogsand even baby chicks.Many of our residents will have ownedanimals when they lived in their ownhomes and whilst we can accommodatepets in our homes there is of course alimit to the number, we have alwaysrecognised the importance of maintainingthis contact.Animals can be a source of great comfortand they are widely recognised as beinggood for health.

CongratulationsTo Carole and Alan on their wedding

on 25.6.10

Well done to:Kirsteen O’Niel (trainee team leader)

, Hayley Linday

(trainee team leader) and Debbie Bird on achieving

their NVQ Level 3

Michelle Hutchinson (Trainee Senior No 3)

touching the big snakes and spiders.“We organise regular day trips forpeople living at Garden House andvisiting attractions like this helps tokeep the residents active and improvetheir overall health and wellbeing.”

Horsing AroundDebbie, who has worked at GardenHouse for 18 years, has always been madon horses. Since she was a little girl youcan see her out in all weathers ridingalong Main Street, Spittal on her way tothe beach to exercise the horses. So whenDebbie said that she would bring thebeautiful ponies down to meet residents,we jumped at the chance.This went down a treat, the residentsabsolutely adored Torin who is 11 year oldDartmoor pony, Debbie informed us thatTorin is very well behaved when beingridden by a little boy of 3 years and 6

months. Debbie knows all Torin’s littletraits. He does not mind traffic, wheeliebins or the odd flying carrier bag but is abig wus when being brushed or bathedand best of all can smell a vet 500 yearsaway, Debbie pointed out (just like aTypical Man).Debbie then explained that Rosie, who isa 13 year old Forrest Pony 13 - 3 handshigh and is perfect in every way. Rosiewas a show jumping pony before Debbiebought her but unfortunately would notstand still and went every where at a 100miles an hour and loved a nibble of abackside. Rosie appeared to be chilledand laid back on her visit, but Debbiesays she can still have her moments.

GLENHOLME DAY CENTRE GLENHOLME HOUSE

Page 12Wellburn Autumn News 2010 Page 13Wellburn Autumn News 2010

CongratulationsWell done to Jean Richardson andKay Musther for completing NVQ 3

Well done to Lisa Outhwaite(Deputy) for completing NVQ 4 inrecord timeof 6 months.

Happy Birthday to Dorothy Wake,reaching the grand young age of 80

Happy Birthday to Margaret Brown,101 yrs young.

Congratulations to Kay Musther onher engagement to Sarah.

Welcome to Anthony Topping,joining the Daycentre team.

It was a great day, all the staff had theirEngland shirts on and many of theclients either had red or white on. In themorning we did our exercises withEngland flats. We enjoyed a shandy andnibbles and sang along to football songsor just old songs we liked, Kay madefootball targets hanging from the walland we had a penalty spot, Mandi keptthe scores and we had such a giggle.

WORLD CUP PARTY11/6/2010

Sunderland Dance sent the day centrea pack with all the different classesthey do. Shelley booked line dancingfor a few weeks.

Everyone was nervous about it, butas soon as the Dolly Parton startedplaying the atmosphere was amazing.Everyone was on their feet, we startedwith a warm up then started learningsteps, she went through it with everyonestep by step, by the end of the lesson wewereall professionals. Here come TheGlenholme dancers!!!

Line Dancing

We had tried Roker Park and we all fancieda change so the staff took us all to HerringtonPark next to Penshaw Monument.

It is a lovely park with a large lake andlots to see. The lake was full of differentbirds, the swans had signets and littleducklings were everywhere. The staffhad brought flasks of tea and cakes, wehad our deck chairs and found a picnicbench. After we had our tea we wentdown to feed the birds. The swans werenot keen on Kay and I didn’t think shewas keen on them either, we have neverseen her run as fast! We sat and talked about PenshawMonument and how we used to visit itwith our children, what a lovely day!!!

HERRINGTON Park

Since the weather is getting better wehave been having a lot of garden parties.We bought a paddling pool last year, butdidn’t use it that much, however this year ithas never been in the box, we have used itfor many things. Kay made us some fishingrods to play hoop the duck and hoop “whata giggle”. On a hot day its lovely to have the music on,and the pool out with our feet in - don’tforget a shandy and a ice cream, it’s reallyrelaxing!

It was a lovely sunny day and we hadplanned to go to Roker beach for icecream. Everyone got off the buses and wewalked down to the sand. We all wrote ournames in the sand and felt like children.Flo and Ron had a great time it had beenmany years since they had been on thesand, Ron said it brought back memoriesof bringing the grandchildren down tothe beach. Kay and Sue even went for apaddle!!! We all had deck chairs and hadour ice cream, a lovely day!!!!

Lisa and Shelly joined up with friendsFran and Stacey to participate in theGrace House Midnight Walk. Grace House is a Children’s Hospice inSunderland and every year they organizethe walk to raise funds for the Charity.The walk is appox 10K and starts at theSeaburn Centre on our sea front andjourneys along the sea front to theUniversity Campus, returning to theSeaburn Centre. There were approx1200 women taking part this year, all ofwhom had fancy dress outfits, glowsticks, boppers and the Grace Houset-shirt. It was quite a sight to see in theearly hours of the morning! Theatmosphere was fantastic and the baconbutty and cup of coffee at the end wasvery much appreciated. We completedthe course in 1 hr and 23 mins and haveour medal as a momento.

On 11th June we went on our Summerholidays to Bridlington! There we 3 residents,Peggy, Lena and Enid and 2 staff, Hayleyand Jo. We hired a large static caravan forthe weekend. We had a wonderful time, oursite was right next to the beach so we had alovely view. On Sunday we went intoBridlington town centre and had a good lookaround and had a few games of Bingo andour Sunday lunch. The weather managed tostay fine for us all weekend. We would like tosay a big thank you to Michael for driving usthere and bringing us home.

A day out with Michael, the coach driver,and Jo looking after us all. The weatherwas absolutely glorious, just as welike it, rain, rain, rain and yet more rain.As strong travellers though, we didnot grumble.We had some lunch and went to theBowling Club in Washington where theyhad a well designed café and the foodwas delicious. So after our yummy,yummy meal we had a game of bowling.I thought I was too old to play but I reallyenjoyed it so all I can say is well done toMichael and Jo. Keep up the good workas host and hostess. Joyce Atkinson

Letter from a resident

Holiday

Summer Fete

Life Story -Molly McDowellMolly met Stan at a partywhere her sister was thebarmaid. Stan decided thatthey were to be married ashe was very taken withMolly, so after knowing each other for onlya few days they got engaged and then veryquickly married. Stan was called back upto the Merchant Navy and was away for 2years. Molly went to the station to meetStan after he had left the Merchant Navybut had to take her sister with her as shecouldn’t remember what Stan looked like!They became inseparable and went on tohave a daughter, Annette and adopted ason, Steve.

On Saturday 17th July we held our firstSummer Fete. There was a home bakingstall, tombola, raffle, a chocolate fountainand face painting. We even had a wetsponge wipeout, which Danielle kindlyran (and enjoyed getting soaked in!)Thank you to all who attended andhelped out on the stalls, you helped usraise almost £300 for the Social fund.

We had been donated some excellentprizes for the raffle and we would like toextend our gratitude to the following:Seaburn Marriott, Morrisons at Seaburn,Flower Angels, Barlows Fruit and Veg,North East Diving Academy, SunderlandEmpire Cinema and Calla Lilly’s.We have been enjoying some lovely tripsout with Michael on his bus. In the pastcouple of months we have been to York,Whitby, Metro Centre, the cinema,bowling, Whitley Bay and Seahouses.Thank you Michael!

We have had various ‘tasting’ daysrecently. We especially enjoyed the‘fruit tasting’ day and the ‘Oldfashioned sweet tasting’. We tastedthings that we hadn’t had for manyyears or in the case of the fruit tasting,something that we hadn’t tried before.

Grace HouseMidnight Walk19 June 2010

Strictly Come Dancing at Glenholme

Welcome to new residentsJean Temple, Hannah Little, Pat Heslop,Eileen Harris, Evelyn Dunn, Tom Faghy.

Welcome to new staffChristine Head, Trina Davies andSandra Shewan

CongratulationsMelda Sewell on achieving her NVQ Level 3

Leslie on achieving her NVQ Level 2

Congratulations to Care AssistantMaureen who is getting married to herfiancé, Kevin on 21st August.

Glenholme House is taking a leaf outof Strictly Come Dancing’s book tohelp keep its residents fit and healthy.

Each week, residents are taken to thenearby Seaburn Centre for a tea dance.Along with other elderly people from thearea they are able to take to the floor to dosuch dances as the Waltz, Charleston andthe Tango. They then finish the afternoonoff with a cup of tea and some biscuits.Glenholme House Manager Kelly Wattexplained: “We encourage our residents tobe as active as they can and dancing is avery good and enjoyable way to keep fit.“The tea dances are very popular, as notonly do they contribute to their health, butit also gives the residents a chance tocatch up with other people from the areathey know.”

Staff and residents at Glenholme Houseare celebrating after being awarded aGold Quality Standard by the LocalAuthority.Glenholme House received the topquality rating following a visit fromInspectors at Sunderland City Council.The Home is one of a handful of privateHomes in Sunderland to receive thisaccolade.The Council introduced the new ratingsystem last year in a bid to raisestandards in care homes for older peoplein the City.There are four ratings, Standard,Bronze, Silver and Gold and during aninspection a Care Home is rated onanything from the quality of its food tothe number of different activitiesresidents are offered.To win the Gold Standard, a home hasto be rated excellent in the followingareas: (Freedom from discriminationand harassment, improved health andwellbeing, improving choice and controland maintaining personal dignity andrespect) and good in the following areas:(Improved quality of life, economicwellbeing and making a positivecontribution).Kelly Watt, Manager of GlenholmeHouse, said: “We were absolutelydelighted to receive the Gold Standardand it is testament to the hard-workingstaff that helps to make GlenholmeHouse so homely and friendly.“No-one in the Home is excluded andeven if only one resident wants to dosomething, then we do everything in ourpower to make sure it happens.”

A golden moment

GrimstonCourt

Family Story

A fundraiserto remember

BARKING up the wrong tree

Scoring a strikewith aNintendo WiiA fundraising evening at Heatherdale

raised an amazing £820 for theresidents’ social fund.The event in July was supported by thewhole community and highlightsincluded a singer, raffle and the auctionof a painting, celebrating the mininghistory of East Chevington.

Lots of fun was also had wheneveryone took place in a game of Irishbingo, which involves people beinggiven a number, standing up and thenhaving to sit down when their numberis called – with the last person standingwinning the prize.

There were acts of great generosity onthe evening with the bingo winnerdonating the money they won to thesocial fund and the artist who paintedthe East Chevington picture buyingback his own painting!

Heatherdale Manager Alison Mooresaid: “We had a fantastic evening andwe were delighted to raise so muchmoney for the social fund.

“It means we can take the residentsout on more trips and with some ofthe money raised we plan to go toBeamish Museum.”

Staff and residents at Heatherdalealso supported the Help the Heroescampaign by baking cakes that weresold at a cake stall to raise money forsoldiers injured in Britain’s militaryconflicts.

Heatherdale resident Thelma Smithhas a go at the hula hoop on theNintendo Wii Fit game as (left to right)carers Gemma Mackenzie, DorothyRutherford, resident Shirley Mackeyand carer Lesley Robinson look on.

Wellburn Autumn News 2010Wellburn Autumn News 2010 Page 14

GRIMSTON COURT HEATHERDALE

Thank you to everyone for afantastic open day – we raised£267 for the Red Cross and funwas had by all!

Red Cross Open Day22nd August 2010

Grimston Court’s

FILEY TRIPBy Winifred Donn

Our day trip to Filey brought back lots ofhappy memories. My husband and I usedto go there quite often; this was due tothe easy parking. We used to walk outalong the Brigg, which was a long way.The water depth at either side was verydifferent. Although we never did this onthe Grimson Court trip, we still saw a lotof Filey and enjoyed a picnic outside. Itwas very blustery and cold! It made mefeel alive again and I hadn’t felt that wayin a long time.

The journey both there and back waslovely. We travelled down a road I seemto have never travelled down before. Itwas a fast, open road and I like to feel asif I am travelling fast.

The drive down the seafront wasinteresting, as I was surprised to see thechange that had been made to all themotels. They now appear to be holidayflats. I was disappointed that there wereno fishing boats, as I remember seeingthe tractors that pulled them in.

The residents and staff also enjoyedplaying in the park on the swings andsee-saw, we had such an entertainingday. I can’t wait for the next trip!

Staff and residents were given ‘paws’ forthought when they staged their first-everdog show in July.As part of an ongoing programme ofevents to involve the local community,Wellburn Heatherdale held a competitionto find the ‘best in show’.In a close fought contest the winner wasdeclared to be Archie, a Scottish Terrierowned by 14-year-old Lauren Webb.

Heatherdale Manager Alison Mooresaid: “It was a really good day and all ourresidents enjoyed seeing the dogs incompetition.“Being in a close-knit community we arekeen to involve local people in as manyof our activities as possible and wewill certainly beholding another dogshow in the future.”

People living in Heatherdale nowhave another way to keep fit andactive – by playing a Nintendo Wii.The best-selling games console waspurchased after a special request byresidents at Heatherdale. One of our staffhad brought her Nintendo Wii in to show tothe residents and they enjoyed playing it somuch they asked if they could have one forthemselves.

The Wii now takes pride of place in thecommunal lounge and the residents areable to play with it as and when they want.

The most popular games at present are WiiSports, particularly the virtual ten-pinbowling, and Wii Fit, with the hula hoopproviding the biggest laughs.

Heatherdale Manager, Alison Moore, said:“Our residents love playing the NintendoWii and as well as being a lot of fun, we arefinding it also has fantastic health benefitsas well.

“Anyone who has played the games on theWii will know it can be very energetic andwhilst we obviously need to ensure it is nottoo strenuous, we are delighted with howpopular it has become.

“It also demonstrates that just because youare older, there is no reason why you can’t

also enjoy playing video games. Ourresidents are certainly demonstratingthat age is no barrier to having fun.”

Alison added: “The Wii not onlyexercises the residents’ bodies, butalso their minds and the gamesimprove their social interactivity too,not only due to the games amongstthemselves, but also getting rid of thegeneration gap when their familiesvisit.”

Heatherdale resident Thelma Smith,79, said: “I enjoy doing the hula hoop.It is a different, but much moreenjoyable, way of exercising.”

Page 15

My name is Ann Mattam, I amthe daughter of Betty Rossiter.I originally went looking for anursing home for my mum andchose Lamel Beeches. My fatherhad passed away and mum wasnot happy being on her own. Thehome went to Stratford, where mymust was living, to interview her,however the placement in thehome was not suitable.I then had to look aroundresidential homes in York. I view

several homes and wanted to findthe perfect home for mum to livein. Grimston Court was thefurthest home I viewed.When I first saw Grimston CourtI knew it was a Listed Buildingand the gardens were impressive.I was immediately taken by thehome. My initial viewing wasexcellent with the manager PamSimpkin.Mum had a month’s trial atGrimston. Between me, my familyand my mum we decided this washome for mum. My mum is very happy atGrimston Court. When I come tovisit her and take her back to myhouse, she is pleased to comeback to Grimston Court. Overall Iand my family are extremelyhappy with all the care mum getsat Grimston Court from everyone.The plus side for me is thebeautiful grounds which arefantastic. I love to take mum ondifferent walks around thegardens, to which she really enjoys.

Jean Scott requested a paddlingpool as the weather was so hot, shealso wanted ice lollies too, whichwe ended up buying for every one.All these summer activities broughtback memories for such a lot ofresidents and in turn discussions andreminiscing went on about seasideholidays, which even resulted inresidents using the computer to lookup places from the past.

Our lovely Manager on the day before herbirthday. We all gathered round and got acollection up and we bought her a bouquetof flowers. This was a total surprise for herand even Tony Henderson sang to her andgave her a birthday cake...

Daphne StevensonCHILD OF THE EDWARDIAN AGE

Daphne Stevenson (neé House)was born on the 4th January 1906in Southsea, Hampshire. She wasthe eldest of five children born toAlbert Edwin and Suzie EllenHouse. Her siblings were Ivor,Barbara, Nancy and John.Her father was an officer in the RoyalNavy and when she was aged 4, the familymoved to China because he had beenappointed as the Commander of thesmall Brits naval base and coaling stationof Weiheiwei, which had been leased theUnited Kingdom from 1898 to 1930, ontheN.E. coast of the Shangtung peninsula.The young Daphne attended Englishschools in China. She learned to ride anddance and had been taught to play chessby her father. The family returned toEngland when she was about 14, whereshe attended Croydon High School forGirls and completed a six monthsecretarial course.At the age of 17 she went back to Chinawith her family as her father, havingretired from the Royal Navy, had becomea shipping agent in Hankow withButterfield and Swire. Hankow was oneof the Treaty Ports on the Yangtze thathad been established in the previouscentury by the Treaty of Nanking, some600 miles inland from the sea. Daphne,now in a job as a secretary in the BritishConsulate there, entered wholeheartedlyinto the hectic social life enjoyed by theBritish ex patriots in Hankow.It was at one of these local parties thatshe met her future husband, ShannanStevenson, who was a junior officer inHMS Bee, one of the small shallowdraught insect class gunboats that werepatrolling the Yangtze. The Royal Navy’sjob was to protect British interests in theTreaty Ports from the activities of theChinese river pirates and “War Lords”.

One of his fellow officers in HMSBee was Prince George (later Duke ofKent), the 4th son of King George V,who also enjoyed a party and amongstother things, taught Daphne how todance the Charleston.

A serious anti British riot broke out inHankow in January 1927 and an armedforce from HMS Bee was sent ashoreto evacuate the British women andchildren from the port. Daphne was oneof those evacuated.

In 1927 Shannan left regular service withthe Royal Navy but remained on theemergency list and returned to Englandto marry Daphne and join his familynewspaper business. They married in StMary’s Church, Alverstoke, in Hampshire,on 1 June 1929 where Daphne was givenaway by her uncle, because her parentswhere still out in China.

Shannan’s career in newspapers wasinterrupted by the Second World Warwhen he was recalled onto the active listof the Royal Navy and served at sea from1939 to 1942, escorting transatlanticconvoys bringing vital supplies to sustainthe British war effort. These wereanxious years for Daphne and manyyoung women like her, with her husband

in danger at sea, the threat from Germanair raids, no fixed address in Englandand three small boys to bring up on herown. Her fourth son, John, was born in1942 when Shannan had been transferredto a share appointment on the staff of theRoyal Naval College, Dartmouth. Heresumed his newspaper activities afterthe war, becoming a director of theWestminster Press before settling inBolton Old Hall, Bolton on Swale.

With Shannan in failing health, he movedtogether with Daphne into NightingaleHall Nursing Home on 1 June 2001,seventy two years to the day since theywere married. Tina Lambert, the matronat that time, organised a special supperfor the two of them on that day towelcome them into the Home andcelebrate their anniversary.

Daphne was a keen and mostknowledgeable gardener and a talentedwater colour painter who had her workexhibited in London and other places.She enjoyed sewing and knitting, makingmany garments for her growing family.

She loves poetry and enjoyed a game ofchess. She says “You are never unhappyif you are making something”. Her eldestson Ronald says she has a strongcompetitive element in her character andhe believes this may account for herextraordinary longevity. She has 10grandchildren and 19 greatgrandchildren, with another on the way.

She is a gracious lady who has livedthrough memorable events in history,seen the British Empire at its zenith,witnessed two World Wars, seen 4 BritishMonarchs on the throne (and EdwardVIII who was never crowned). A littlewhile ago she was listening to a languagetape so the she could “brush up” on hermandarin that she used to speak as ayoung girl in China.

Page 16 Wellburn Autumn News 2010 Page 17Wellburn Autumn News 2010

NIGHTINGALE HALL

CHARITY DOG SHOW getstails wagging

Italian NightBilly the handyman had a bright ideato raise some funds for CatterickCricket Club which he plays for everysummer. 'Lets have a themed nightand I'll do the cooking' It was agreedthis was a good idea and it wasdecided the theme would be Italian.The menu was decided upon, postersprinted and tickets sold. Luckily wewere able to buy some garden furnitureand so we were hopeful to eat 'al fresco'.Sadly when the morning of our eventdawned, the skies looked grim-our planshad to be changed-supper would now beindoors. It was a shame, but with Helenand later Janice, busy cooking away inthe kitchen, Janet set about creating ourvery own Bistro in the Dining Room.Guests started arriving at 6.30pm and allthe helpers slipped seamlessly fromNurses and Carers to Waiting staff andwashers up (Kerry landed this role,bless her). The atmosphere was perfectfrom the start with Mantovani playing

quietly in the background and theconstant chatter of our diners in theforeground. We did 25 covers (we're toldthat's cafe speak for meals served!) Andraised £280 for the Cricket club and£105 for our own residents fund. So good was the food and ambiance wehave considered this as a nice littlesideline if times get harder! All in all we had a very successfulevening enjoyed by all. Our next forayinto the culinary world is planned to beMexican themed so watch this space.

Nightingale Hall staged its inauguraldog show in April and the event wasa major success.The event, which was opened by theMayor of Richmond, Councillor DavidGillson, attracted people from acrossthe area, with 29 dogs being entered forthe show.The fee for each class was £1 and therewas also a fancy dress competition andprizes for the fastest Bonio eater and thedog with the best waggly tail. A raffle andrefreshments were also provided.The best in show prize went to aShetland Sheep Dog and at the end ofthe day around £200 had been raised forAlzheimer’s research.

Organiser Janice Spark, who isNightingale Hall’s cook and also aninternationally-renowned Kennel Clubjudge, said: “There was a fantasticatmosphere on the day and even thoughit was designed to be a fun event, thestandard of entries was very high.“We were delighted to raise so muchmoney for Alzheimer’s research. Anumber of the residents at NightingaleHall suffer from Alzheimers and it is adisease that can affect any of us.“We now plan to hold a dog show everyyear and hopefully it will get bigger andbigger and we can raise even moremoney for charity.”

An army band recently struck a chordwith residents at Nightingale Hall.

The Yorkshire Volunteers Bandperformed at Nightingale Hall in June.It was a homecoming of sorts for theband because historically, some of itsmembers served in the Green HowardsRegiment and Nightingale Hall used tobe the Regiment’s Officers Messbefore being converted into a nursinghome in 1985.

The Yorkshire Volunteers played a widerange of music for the residents,including Nightingale’s oldest resident104-year-old Daphne Stevenson, whospeaks fluent Mandarin after moving toChina with her Royal Navy father whenshe was just four.

Jan Cosgrove, Manager of NightingaleHall, said: “The band had to play insidebecause of the bad weather but thiscertainly didn’t dampen the atmosphereand all the residents thoroughlyenjoyed listening to the music.

“There are therapeutic benefits oflistening to music and we are alwayslooking at ways of improving the healthand wellbeing of the residents atNightingale Hall.”

By sheer coincidence, when Janbecame manager at Nightingale Hall,she discovered her father, John Barker,had used the Officers Mess when heserved in the Green Howards.

Jan explained: “My dad came home tobe demobbed immediately after WorldWar Two and when he arrived inRichmond on his way home toNorthallerton, he stopped off forbreakfast at Nightingale Hall.

“I only discovered this when he askedme about my new job and where Iworked, and we were both as surprisedas each other when we realised thecoincidence.”

Not just aone man band

Page 18 Wellburn Autumn News 2010 Page 19Wellburn Autumn News 2010

RYTON TOWERS

When Ena Dixon contracted Parkinson’sDisease her family knew she would notbe able to live independently indefinitely.Despite living in her home for over sevenyears with the help of her family, after anumber of falls at home, including anaccident where she fractured her hip inthree places, Ena’s daughter Lorraine andher husband Alan, realised that despitetheir best efforts to provide care for herthemselves, there was no other option butto look for a suitable residential care home.Having lived in the Ryton area ofGateshead for the majority of her life,Lorraine and Alan were keen that the 88-year-old remained in the area so she couldbe close to her loving family.They visited one care home in the area butalthough it was brand new they thought itwas too “clinical” and “institutionalised”.It was at this stage they visited Ryton Towers,which is owned by Wellburn Care Homes. After looking around the home they quicklymade up their minds that this was theperfect place for Ena. By coincidence Enaused to pay her bills at Ryton Towers whenit was used as a local council office.Lorraine and Alan opted for a double roomfor Ena as they were keen that she couldtake as much of her personal possessionsas possible. Ena moved into Ryton Towersin July 2009 and Lorraine and Alan say theyare delighted with the choice they made.Alan says: “What struck us immediatelyabout Ryton Towers was how homely itwas. The other home we visited was veryimpersonal, clinical and institutional but

Ryton Towers was the exact opposite. It feltvery homely and you could see there hadbeen great attention to detail ensuring thatpeople living there felt like it was a realhome-from-home.“Ena settled into the home really quicklyand we put this down to the fantasticsupport she has received from staff andother residents. We now feel safe in theknowledge that if she does fall, there willbe experienced people there to help her atall times.“We were worried about Ena’s weightwhen she moved into Ryton Towers butshe loves the food and has put on over astone whilst living there. “Ena is a bit of a loner but she does getinvolved in the various activities in thehome and one of the nicest things is thatwhilst staff always encourage her to takepart they also respect the fact thatsometime she prefers to be by herself.“We have nothing but good things to sayabout Ryton House.”Ena with her family and greatgranddaughter Indra whom popped in tosee Ena for the first time, as she lives inAustralia, on her back packing trip aroundthe globe.

Pheobe celebrated her 100th Birthday on 14th August. Pheobe has been a well known ladyin the Ryton area, she was Head Mistress at the local school so has taught many peoplein the Ryton area and was very active in the local Chapel and continues to be so. Pheobehad a special Church service in the Home on her birthday prior to her party.

Stress – What is It ???You wake up in the morningAnd think of what’s to comeAnd go home on an eveningOf work to still be done…

Your mind is ticking overYou toss and turn in bedYou think of all your actions

And things you should have said…

Your jobs are getting longerYou’ve got so much to do

But the work just keeps on coming inAnd finished jobs are few…..

You never seem to find the timeTo have a little peace

For the workload just gets harderAnd problems never cease…..

You think you’ll have a breakdownBut just don’t have the time

For there’s some things more importantThat just your state of mind…

So you think you’ll take a holidayA few days in the sun

Hoping that on your returnAll the jobs are done…..

But you know this isn’t likelyAnd reality kicks in

So you pick up all those blooming filesAnd throw them in the bin…..

Nikki Durrant

Residents enjoying the local park inWigginton... Who says you have to beyoung to have fun on the apparatus???

And dancing at the local village hall...you just never forget those moves...

A trip to the lavender farm....Terrington

Weekly exercise in the home... orcheerleading you decide?...

Pampering... if it’s good enough for thequeen it’s good enough for our residents...

And finally... a big, big thank you to all theresidents family and friends of Rosevale.You have all been so very patient and co-operative whilst the building work is beingundertaken and this is very muchappreciated. Looking at the work carriedout so far it has been well worth it.

Pheobe Purvis

Ena Dixon

CHICKS makeresidents cry ‘FOWL’Rosevale residents were delightedwhen they saw ten guinea fowlchicks hatch before their eyes.The chicks arrived at Rosevalejust a few weeks before theyhatched from their eggs.

Nikki Durrant, Manager at Rosevalesaid: “The chicks were a great successwith residents and it was wonderful tosee the expressions of delight on theirfaces as they saw them hatch and grow.

“We called the first one Rambo becauseit was so big and everyone was very sadto see them leave when they got toobig for their incubator, which happenedall to quickly.”

Sing-a-longs have taken on a whole newmeaning at a Ryton Towers followingthe installation of a karaoke machine.Staff bought the machine to provideentertainment and stimulation for the elderlyresidents. It has proved a real smash hit withthe residents who now regularly take up themicrophone to belt out their favourite tunes.Top of the hit parade are golden oldies fromthe likes of Vera Lynn and Frankie Valli.Ryton Towers Manager Joy Wylie said: “Wewere spending money getting singers tocome into Ryton Towers to entertain theresidents and thought to complement thiswe would buy a karaoke machine so theycould sing themselves.“The machine has proved very popular andwe have no shortage of residents wantingto get hold of a microphone and sing theirfavourite songs.“What is particularly pleasing is that evenour residents who have dementia are havinga go and we are noticing it is having a positiveimpact on everyone’s health and wellbeing.”

ResidentsON SONGat Ryton Towers

Lullabies send chicks to sleep.Ryton Towers recently welcomed some newadditions to the team.The chicks arrived at Ryton Towers a fewweeks before they hatched from their eggsand residents were delighted when six ofthe chicks appeared in the incubator.And the chicks proved such a hit that oneof the residents even went as far as singinglullabies to get them off to sleep.Pat Shevlin, Deputy Manager at RytonTowers, said: “The chicks were a greatsuccess with residents and it was wonderfulto see the expressions of delight on theirfaces as they carefully held or stroked them.“One of our residents, Cliff Newman, normallyprefers to stay in his room but when thechicks arrived he couldn’t wait to come intothe lounge to see them and he even sang alullaby to them while they were on his knee.”The chicks have now been taken to bereared on an allotment by the father of amember of staff at Ryton Towers.

BABY Chicks

ROSEVALE

New Residents at RosevaleWelcome to:Mrs HoltMrs CunninghamMr GreavesMrs RawsonMrs SmithMrs Watkinson

New StaffWelcome to:Eliza DraguGeorgie Van Ingen Valarie WilsonNatalie LawsonBen DurrantShaun ElliottKaty Hogg

Welcome backTo Kashia from maternity leave afterhaving her beautiful baby boy Adam.

CongratulationsTo Nikki Durrant who has justbecome an Aunty to littleLolitta Cilest who was born16th July in St Tropez France,where her brother lives.Weighing in at just under5lb, she may be tinybut she is so strongand gorgeous andsooooooooo cute.

In October 2009, I started a threeyear Diploma Course in adultnursing. Eight months into my firstyear, I am still enjoying it, eventhough there is a lot of hard workto put in, I know it is the best thingI have done!What I have learnt while being onclinical placement I have brought toRosevale, I have a better understandingand a lot more respect for theResidents. I feel I have learnt tocommunicate better with Residents,my way of thinking and my approachto them have changed for the betterand for my Manager to notice, Iknow I am doing a good job of beinga Carer and I know I will make agood nurse.All the staff and management atRosevale have given me so muchsupport and encouragement, withouttheir help I would not be where Iam today.

CharleneWrigglesworth

CongratulationsKatie Hart, 21st BirthdayGlynis Johnson became a Grandma toBaby Girl Charley born 1.1.10Pat Shevlin has a new Grandson, OliverJack, born 14.7.10Tracey Smiles, NVQ 2

WelcomeNew Manager - Joy WylieMandy Coyne - Bedmakers

& Janet MadineAmanda Tyson - Night CarerDenise Johnson - Laundry

New Residents:Eileen Brown, Marion Dewhurst,Cliff Newman and Wilf Cairns

101st BirthdayDoris Mathewson celebrated her101st birthday in April with all herfamily and friends. Doris still keepsherself busy with Suduko puzzlesand knitting teddy bears for charity.

Wellburn Care Homes Ltd. Head Office: Tyne View House, 9 Grange Road, Newburn, Newcastle upon Tyne NE15 8NDTel: 0191 229 3530, Fax: 0191 229 3531 Email: info@wellburncare.co.uk www.wellburncare.co.uk

It seems a very long time ago now,but last winter was a long and anexceptionally cold one, in some areaswe recorded temperatures down to -10º. All of our gardeners battled toclear the snow and ice most days,only for everywhere to be coveredagain by next morning!!!

I was at Grimston Court on 14th Januaryand the snow was slowly clearing,leaving ‘flattened’ gardens, but alreadythere were glimpses of snowdropspeeping through and buds on themagnolia tree. Spring may have been very late, butwhen it did arrive the bulbs in ourgardens were stunning with akaleidoscope of colour.We are holding a ‘Sunflower’ competitionthis year and after visiting most of thehomes recently, it is in darts terminology,‘game on’ and being taken very seriously.July / August heralded the arrivalof the judges for the summer gardencompetitions, both local and regional.Nine homes are involved and weare hoping for another successful year.

GARDEN HOUSEExternal development works have nowfinished. Neil, our gardener, is coping wellwith the new established ‘very steep’ rearlawn. There have been many complimentson the new patio garden, which is provingvery popular with residents. Thepavement view is now definitely ‘GardenHouse’, a blaze of colour.

HEATHERDALEThe garden is looking very well, with thefountain in particular proving a wonderfulfeature. Alan has planted up the basketsand pots, as well as the general garden.

CRAGHALLLee has spent time renewing boundaryfencing. Three very large barrel ‘planters’in the courtyard are providing stunningcolour in a previously bland area. I mustalso mention the new pet ‘Fluffy’ she is avery friendly grey rabbit, loved by residentsand staff, Fluffy has a hutch with a run onthe lawn, plus what appears to beprofusion of toys!!

WHORLTON GRANGEThe garden is looking glowing. The newflower bed at the rear has matured and ourresidents are very appreciative of thisintroduction of colour within the largelawned area.

ST GEORGESLee has brought major changes sincetaking over, with the garden looking muchsharper and in a blaze of colour.He has planted a new laurel hedge and hasplans to re-design the patio area.

ST CATHERINE’SYorkshire in Bloom' 2010 -Yorkshire Rose Award Silver GiltThe spring colour was wonderful when iteventually arrived. There were wrensnesting in the hanging baskets, awonderful sight. Much to Brian’s dismayin Autumn the rear garden was invaded bygoats and horses from a neighbouringfield, destroying hedging and damagingplants. Thankfully, the farmer has resolvedthis with stronger fencing!!

ROSEVALEDue to extensive building works the maingarden has been re-designed, with a newfountain and new rose garden. It is a greatsuccess with excellent resident and staffaccess.

GRIMSTON COURTYorkshire in Bloom' 2010 -Yorkshire Rose Award Silver GiltSadly we lost two Eucalyptus trees due tothe hard frosts, but on the whole themajority of trees and plants weathered verywell. John spent many hours clearingsnow, branches and general debris. As theother homes, spring bulbs were fantastic,albeit very late.The gardens generally are looking very goodand we had a Charity Garden Open Day on22nd August for the British Red Cross.

RIVERHEAD HALLYorkshire in Bloom 2010 -Yorkshire Rose Award BronzeJohn Ashton has started to carry out bigimprovements to the gardens. The maingarden has a more open aspect and we arehoping to extend it nearer to the canal,providing a vista from the front of the home.

NIGHTINGALE HALLConsiderable external works are beingcarried out, but in spite of this Billy hasintroduced much more colour to thegarden and it is starting to show the‘Wellburn’ ethos of colourful gardens withchanges of seasons.We now also have a number of bird feedingstations at various homes, attracting a goodvariety of birds, which are nice for ourresidents and staff to look at.

WELLBURN HOUSEAfter last year’s problems with wild rabbitsdecimating the flower beds, Rob & histeam have fenced the whole of theboundary with ‘rabbit proof’ netting,hopefully from now on they can only lookfrom the fields next door!!As a consequence, we have been helped byTom (Tom & Joes Garden Centre, Wylam)to redesign the flower beds and they arenow filled with numerous new plants &shrubs to create a cottage garden look.Shirley raised most of the basket/potbedding plants in the greenhouse fromplugs and Rod Alder has planted up thebaskets and pots for both here, RytonTowers and Whorlton Grange, with greatsuccess, a blaze of colour. We hope torepeat this again next spring.

RYTON TOWERSRyton Towers were placed 2nd in theBlaydon in Bloom competition 2010The garden is looking great. GatesheadCouncil has removed the extremely highand dark Leylandii hedge and we now havea smart new metal boundary fence andmuch more light in this area. We havecopied from Craghall, putting three largebarrel planters in the courtyard, againmaking a massive difference to the viewsfrom inside.

EIGHTON LODGEWe held a very successful Garden OpenDay in July to raise funds for the BritishRed Cross. Lee and Daniel had thegardens looking wonderful and there weremany plaudits, we cannot take all of thecredit as the cream teas proved verypopular as well!!Lee also raised basket/pot bedding plantsfrom plugs in the greenhouse at EightonLodge; the result has been ablaze ofcolour created by him here and also atCraghall and St Georges, even a few sparesfor Alan at Heatherdale!!

GLENHOLME HOUSE andGLENHOLME DAY CENTREDuring the summer months Lee will belooking after the main garden and JanWalker the pots, baskets and new raisedvegetable garden. Jan has had considerablesuccess with her own garden at home in theSunderland garden competitions and hopesto do the same here, this has generatedgreat interest from residents.

SPRING / SUMMERFLOWERING BULBSEach year we purchase large numbers ofbulbs for our gardens.Most of our Homes, where we have plantedthe basics, daffodils, narcissi, crocus andtulips, are now ‘targeting’ specific areas forthe coming season.Garden House and Nightingale Hall, wherethe outside building works are nearingcompletion, are having ‘mass’ plantings.I have great respect for all of our gardeners,who are very steadfast when faced with themass planting in autumn.In total we will be planting 27,500 bulbsthis year!!!!!

Shirley WardGarden Manager