Care Homes

Homes: Blackwood

Here at Blackwood, we decided that our 25th anniversary celebrations would be themed ‘Alice in Wonderful’. We all made a huge e ort to dress up as some of the characters, and to decorate our surroundings. The overall e ect was fabulously bright and colourful. It put beaming smiles on everyone’s faces – especially those of our dear residents.

In keeping with our chosen theme, we o ered a tea party. After all, you can’t have a celebration without a spread of tasty treats! The whole home enjoyed such a terri c time. After such a testing 18 months it felt great to be making happy memories and having some fun together.

In keeping with our chosen theme, we o ered a tea party. After all, you can’t have a celebration without a spread of tasty treats! The whole home enjoyed such a terri c time. After such a testing 18 months it felt great to be making happy memories and having some fun together.

Callington

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Cedar Grange

Our celebrations were centred around singing and cake! We organised live music entertainment, and our kitchen team baked a beautiful 25th anniversary creation – with a second cake kindly donated to us for everyone to enjoy.

Singer Zoe of Zoe’s Cabaret (a regular feature at our home) staged herself outside, belting out some old-time favourites which resonated with our residents. They proved a big hit with one lady in particular, who danced and sang along all afternoon – her stamina surprised and impressed us! Classic song ‘Moon River’ was a real moment.

We were so lucky that the sun shone for us, accommodating the outside ‘dance oor’. And we’re grateful to the Dementia Team who came along to help so that our sta could have a bit of time to relax and enjoy it for themselves. Safe to say, a truly lovely afternoon was had by all.

Chyvarhas

We had a thoroughly brilliant day for our 25th anniversary celebrations. A vibrant, bustling atmosphere was achieved, thanks in part to the presence of local people who were keen to be involved.

Preparation began well in advance, with our Activity Coordinator, Chloe, working away with residents to create all sorts of goodies to sell on one of the stalls (with all proceeds bene tting our home). The group baked and decorated cakes, and made magical reindeer food cones. On top of this, they wrapped all of the presents for the lucky dip – a sizeable task!

We must thank Sharon from our HCA team, who knitted some adorable octopuses. They were sold alongside gorgeous little teddy bears that were kindly created by a resident’s wife. A plentiful BBQ was laid on for everyone to enjoy too. Special thanks are due to chef Callum who came in on his day o to manage this – he certainly managed to satisfy people’s hungry appetites!

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Headlands

Our talented kitchen crew, Brian and Anne-Marie cooked up a barbeque feast for our celebrations. This was complemented by a fantastic 25th anniversary cake which was made by Brian’s star baker wife, the lovely Lindsay – a huge thank you from all of us here!

Headlands is often full of song, so no surprise we also arranged some live music for our residents to enjoy. And who could resist the opportunity to raise a few pounds in the process? A ra e was held and it made £80. Our Home Manager was one lucky winner, bagging herself a bottle of gin. Cheers to you Julia!

Carbis Bay

Mountford

Join us in welcoming the return of our Activity Coordinator, Hannah Moor eld following a long (and we know painful!) absence due to a broken foot. It’s so good to have you back Hannah, and we’re all looking forward to the activities that you’ve got stuck right into organising for everyone to enjoy.

In the circumstances, we didn’t manage a 25th anniversary garden party. But instead, our residents have been out planting in the garden – getting their green ngers suitably mucky in the process.

We are now looking ahead to the festive season, which is such a lovely opportunity to create some really special moments here at Mountford. We’ll re ect on the year that has passed and look forward with hope to all that 2022 has in store! We love welcoming visitors and families to our home, and very much hope this is going to be possible.

Lastly, we’re proud to say that we’ve been recognised with an awards win... you can read more about that in the ‘Recognition Round-up’ on page 23.

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Penberthy

We were lucky enough to be able to share our anniversary celebrations with our residents’ families as well as each other – fantastic!

We held a tea party indoors and ran a ‘bringand-buy’ sale outdoors, making the most of our available space. We are raising money for a minibus, and were delighted that our collective e orts resulted in an impressive £400 towards this goal. We are so keen to be able to take our residents out and about; a change of scenery will be good for us all.

In keeping with the theme of special birthdays, we’d like to mention two more that have taken place recently among our care sta . Trish Nelmes celebrated her fabulous 40th and Eva Fernandez her nifty 50th – belated happy big birthdays to you both. And nally we’d like to big up housekeeper Elaine Connors, who has reached her 20th anniversary of working with us – huge congratulations on this landmark, and thank you for all your years of service!

Trish Nelmes Eva Fernandez Truro

Pengover

Here at Pengover, we were forced to cancel our live entertainment for the special day, due to the impact of COVID-19. But that was not going to be allowed to ruin things...

We decorated for the occasion: bunting for the building and a variety of headwear for our residents, resulting in great fun all round! And we gathered together for a good old-fashioned sing song in lieu of the music we’d planned. Plus of course, there was the obligatory cake – every celebration needs a cake to top things o , and ours tasted every bit as good as it looked.

Callington

Redannick

We combined our special celebration day with something else that was incredibly special to us here; the opening of ‘Marian’s Garden’.

Thanks to a very generous donation from her brother, Bill, and the fantastic work of the Eden Project’s Game Changer team, this beautiful garden has been created in memory of Marian, a long-term resident who spent many an hour in this space.

Marian was a midwife at Treliske hospital almost all of her working life. That’s why Bill thought it so apt to link her name to a living garden – a tribute to all the new life she brought into the world.

We must also mention our ra e, which was an outstanding success, raising an impressive £1,041.50! Thank you so much to everyone who bought a ticket. All in all, a rather lovely day.

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St Breock

Here at St Breock, our celebration had to be postponed – but that meant it could take the form of a bountiful harvest festival instead. The whole home got involved, not just with the day itself, but in the preparation stages too.

A few days before the event, our residents baked harvest loaves with chefs Tracey and Shannon. You can imagine the fun that was had making and shaping the dough! These traditional ‘wheat sheaf’ loaves are designed to look like a tied bunch of grain stalks after they’ve been harvested, aka the sheaf.

Along with an eye-catching array of pumpkins, they were used to form a beautiful display courtesy of Activity Coordinator, Kym – again with the help of our residents of course. Come the day, the loaves were no longer just for looking at... they were devoured as part of a delicious high tea.

We also had a special prayer and sang hymns together. St Breock resides in the heart of a farming community, so this was a really poignant way to bring everyone together. Besides which, the strong sense of season helps our residents to identify and connect with the time of year.

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St Martin’s

Sadly, COVID-19 thwarted our plans for a 25th anniversary garden party. A real shame, as we’d been going for a proper village fete feel and were all looking forward to a super day. But allow us to share a di erent story with you instead... At St Martin’s we always welcome feedback from our residents and their families. Recently Melanie, whose dear mum received end-of-life care with us, took the time to compose a wonderful letter. Thank you Melanie, for granting us permission to share some of your words in the summary that follows. The feedback was prompted by our CQC ‘Good’ status displayed in reception. CQC give their ratings based on the KLOEs – their ve ‘key lines of enquiry’ – which are: Safe, E ective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. Melanie very kindly describes, with these in mind, why she believes the quality Truro of her mum’s care was in fact ‘Outstanding’.

“Mum came to you in the middle of a pandemic which made things even more unsettling for us, her family, due to not being able to visit or even view the home before she came. Over the months, it was obvious through conversations that you all had a good insight about who mum was and what her needs were, which was the reassurance we needed to be able to put our trust in the care that you gave. When mum was placed on the end-of-life pathway, we were able to visit and throughout this short time we could not fault the delivery of care. It is not easy having family around for long periods of time, but you showed us the same respect and kindness that you gave to mum. Callington Safety was always at the forefront of the care delivered, and the cleanliness was spotless – important, especially through a pandemic. Julie responded quickly to any concerns I had. She has a good insight into the care that someone with behavioural challenges needs, and was very much looking at triggers for mum’s behaviour, rather than dealing with an outburst of emotion that was di cult to resolve. Sta listened to her family, which is important, as we know mum better than anyone. We noted in the last few weeks that mum was in fresh clothes each day, nails painted and cream was applied to her hands. Each member of sta , from Diane on reception to your carers and housekeepers, demonstrated a natural caring attitude, and this was shown in the small things you did. It was lovely to see sta coming in to see mum, as her absence had been noted in the lounge. On behalf of our family, I would like to say a huge thank you to you all, for the care, understanding and kindness you showed. It was lovely to see that mum had settled in and had days where she was happy and smiling. We talk about being brilliant up at the hospital, well you are all BRILLIANT!”

The Green

We were lucky enough to have a rare beautiful sunny afternoon to enjoy our anniversary celebrations at The Green. As with all the best garden parties, the bunting was hung to create a sense of occasion! Our culinary team conjured up a brilliant spread of tasty treats to be devoured, including of course the obligatory Cornish cream tea (or two) – with scones that were made by our lovely residents themselves. It was so fantastic to have an opportunity for our team and those we care for to come together in this way and mark this special time at our home.

Callington

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Trengrouse

After an incredibly tough year, the Fundraising team wished to create something very special for Trengrouse – a beautiful garden for residents and sta living and working within the home to enjoy.

And so was born the ‘Garden of Re ection’. It o ers a chance to remember loved ones, re ect upon a di cult time, and have a space to welcome visitors throughout the year. Planned with our residents front of mind, the garden has an accessible path to allow for wheelchair access, and plants that will engage the senses through colour and smell.

We have been blown away by the generous donations received from residents’ family and friends – among them a bird table, wooden bench and garden vouchers. The Eden Project kindly donated a tree which will not only look wonderful through the seasons, but will provide natural shade in summer. The nal donation to nish o this magical space is a group of beautiful metal butter ies, created by local laser cutting and metal folding experts, LaserMaster. Each represents a special person who was so sadly lost at the start of the year.

Say the Fundraising team:

This is a place that is truly deserved after the amazing care that has been carried out over the last 18 months and more. The pandemic has brought home to us all just how precious life is; we must live in the moment, cherish those around us and make memories that will last a lifetime. We are sure ” that wonderful memories will be made in this garden of re ection.

The weather was against us for a spell, but we are proud now to see the area completed – and are much looking forward to seeing it blossom and bloom when the warmer months arrive.

Trevarna

Not content with one day, we stretched our celebrations out over a week-long period! We decided to do it this way so that each of our ve wings could open up individually and welcome along residents’ loved ones.

The theme was ‘Afternoon Tea’ and our team – with china teasets and doilies at the ready – worked hard to ensure that all residents and guests had a fabulous time. Harriette and Natalie were our fantastic ‘hosts with the most’, even dressing the part thanks to handmade pinnies courtesy of our brilliant laundress, Ann.

Special thanks go to all of them, as well as to Linda and Laura for their superb organisation skills. Natalie also excelled in securing some rather amazing ra e donations from the likes of Wheal Martyn, Newquay Zoo, Gin Tree and local restaurants. This resulted in more than £300 being raised for our home.

It was so good to hear the sound of laughter – plus a few cheeky jokes! We haven’t held such events due to COVID-19, so it was a very touching time for all involved. We’re thrilled that family members left here with some new memories made.

The theme was ‘Afternoon Tea’ and our team – with china teasets and doilies at the ready – worked hard to ensure that all residents and guests had a fabulous time.

Harriette

‘hosts with the most’, even dressing the part thanks to handmade pinnies courtesy of our brilliant laundress,

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Trevern

We went a bit theatrical for our celebrations, transforming our home with an authentic ‘Phantom of the Opera’ feel.

Lavishly set-dressed in sumptuous reds and golds, with roses and music-themed decor, we managed to create an amazing atmosphere in which to host a concert – complete with professional opera singer. Classical soprano Rebecca sang beautifully in the garden, our songbird in a sunny setting. We threw open the windows so that those indoors were able to enjoy it to the full. Such a treat for everybody. The sta donned masks (of a di erent kind for a change) to boost the dramatic e ect. Activity Coordinator Sharon summed up wonderfully: It was an absolute privilege to arrange the event and celebrate together 25 years of Cornwall Care – priceless to see the smiles ” as our residents sang along and danced away. Many wonderful memories have been made.

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Huge thanks to Sharon and the entire team for their considerable e orts in making it possible.

All in all, we had a truly magical time!

Callington

Trewartha

Our 25th celebrations were a deliberately gentle and sedate a air, where we had the rst opportunity for our Trewartha family to view the completed Memorial Garden.

We are delighted to have this space to enjoy, and it’s everything we hoped it would be. Beautiful owers and plants, young fruit trees, an arbour and a cascading water wall combine to make the perfect place to sit and re ect.

A sizzling barbecue was a big hit in the late summer sunshine, and cream teas washed down with a glass of Pimms were such a treat. All of this whilst watching some of our residents and sta having a dance on the lawn; a very British a air indeed!

Sincere thanks to all involved for their e orts to make this happen – you know who you are.

Carbis Bay Truro

Woodland

Aglorious sunny Saturday was the scene for our celebrations – incredibly fortunate as we’d used our outdoor space as the setting in order to welcome relatives along.

It was such a buzzy atmosphere, with plenty of stalls to entertain one and all. Among them were a residents’ plant sale, hook-a-duck, name the teddy, tombola, and guess how many sweets in the jar, as well as an extensive ra e.

Chef Sean kept everyone fed with a tasty barbecue, and an array of cakes satis ed those with a sweet tooth. Live musical entertainment was provided by Vince Hall and shanty group Stunsl’s. Further entertainment – or should we say spectator sport – was enjoyed at the stocks. Managers Ian and Emma valiantly took their turn at getting a cold soaking, with Emma boldly being on the receiving end of an entire bucket in exchange for an increased donation!

With so much support in the form of prize donations from our local community, and a generous grant from nearby Asda which covered overheads for the event, we very proudly exceeded an incredible £1800 into our residents’ fund. We’re delighted to announce that a portion of this has recently resulted in our brand new COVID-safe entertainment booth which Emma’s dad, Bert, has constructed in the dining room. Says Activity Coordinator Leanne:

I am so pleased with the nished product, it’s an absolute game ” changer for our residents in the winter months.

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