Friends of Acorn Lodge

This year, the Friends of Acorn Lodge were thrilled to contribute to the annual raffle held at Acorn Lodge Care Home by donating a selection of alcohol. Their generous donation played a key role in making the raffle an exciting and successful event, eagerly anticipated by both residents and staff.

The donation added a touch of festivity to the raffle prizes. These items not only enhanced the overall appeal of the raffle but also helped to raise funds for future activities and initiatives that directly benefit the residents of Acorn Lodge. The presence of those sought-after prizes created a buzz of excitement around the event, encouraging more participation and engagement from everyone involved.

The Friends of Acorn Lodge were pleased to see their donation contribute to the joy of the raffle, knowing that the proceeds would go towards enriching the lives of the residents. Their ongoing support would go towards enriching the lives of the residents. Their ongoing support is a testament to their commitment to the care home and its community, reflecting their dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of the residents. This year’s donation to the raffle is just one of the many ways the Friends continue to show their support and involvement in the activities and well-being of those at Acorn Lodge.

On Monday, 18th December, the students from St. Thomas More Catholic Academy in Nuneaton brought the festive spirit to life by organising a heartwarming Christmas tea party for the residents of Acorn Lodge. The event was a wonderful blend of holiday cheer and community connection, with the students going above and beyond to create a memorable experience for the residents.

The tea party was meticulously planned, with the students taking care of every detail to ensure that the event was both festive and enjoyable. They prepared an array of seasonal treats, including delicious cakes, pastries, and sandwiches, all thoughtfully arranged to delight the residents. The tables were beautifully set with Christmas-themed decorations, adding to the warm and inviting atmosphere.

As the residents entered the room, they were greeted with smiles and holiday music, which immediately set the tone for a joyful afternoon. The students took the time to engage with the residents, sharing stories, listening to their memories, and creating a lively and inclusive feel. The residents were visibly touched by the effort and care that the students put into the event, and their faces lit up with happiness as they enjoyed the delicious treats and festive ambiance.

The Christmas tea party was more than just an event; it was an example of intergenerational bonding and the positive impact that young people can have on the community. The students’ thoughtful gestures brought immense joy to the residents of Acorn Lodge, making them feel cherished and connected during the holiday season. The success of this tea party has left a lasting impression on both the students and the residents.

Since Covid, the routines have changed the way people volunteer in care homes. Alongside this so have many of the people: both staff and volunteers.

These all combine to make people feel a little uncertain about elements of their volunteering at some point or another.

While there has always been the opportunity for one-to-one contact with Attend by contacting Sona at sona.sladkova@attend.org.uk we are now looking at another way for our volunteers to gain more support.

On the first Tuesday of every month, we will be holding open zoom sessions for any volunteer to catch up. These will be at 2pm. If you would like to join the call, email sona.sladkova@attend.org.uk to be added to the zoom invite.

This inspired the group to host a Christmas party in their college for the residents of Acorn Lodge care home.

Lucy, one of the students in the group, said a big part of what they do is putting faith in action by working in the community, helping people and trying to spread joy. Lucy said they decided to work with the care home residents this past December because they learned that loneliness can be such a big problem for elderly people. Especially with the lockdown, she said she’s noticed that many elderly people have been alone, and the group wanted to do something to spread some joy for care home residents.

Martha, another student in the group, said the event was organised with a very loose structure so that there could be lots of time for students to chat with the residents. The residents were brought into the home where the students had organised a presentation of many of the things the residents may have enjoyed when they were younger. Martha said the presentation included older songs, and pictures of celebrities, movies and shows they thought the residents would have liked.

“They seemed to really enjoy looking at them. It was fun to see who their heart throbs were when they were our age and things,” Lucy said.

Outside of the presentation, Martha said the students sang Christmas songs, shared refreshments and cakes and Christmas cards and they were visited by some of the older sixth form students as well.

Lucy said her favourite part of the event was talking with the residents and it quickly became easy for students to find things to talk about.

“At first it was a bit awkward because they’re obviously new people, but after a while it was not really difficult because at the end of the day, they’re just people,” Lucy said.

One of the students, Hannah, said she learned a dance and did it with the residents during the party. This was one of Lucy’s favourite parts of the event.

Hannah said at the end of the event, she was speaking to some of the residents and was surprised by how well they responded to the event.

“They really enjoyed the party and were wishing they would stay longer and that really made me feel that what we did was really helpful for them, because it gave us an opportunity to talk to them about their lives and about our school and things like that,” Hannah said.

Martha said one interaction that stuck with her was with one resident who was not originally planning to attend the event.

“She wasn’t meant to be coming, and she didn’t want to come, and then they convinced her to last minute. Then, at the end she stood up and said how grateful she was for it and how much she’d enjoyed it,” Martha said.

It was almost surreal for the students having the care home residents visit the school. Martha said this was because they had sort of created their own little world for the Christmas party which was so different to their normal routines.

“We’d walk out, and everybody would be having lunch and then we’d go back in the room, and it was just us having a little Christmas party,” She said although it was very different, she thought it was really nice to be part of the event and also that it was good for the residents to get out and see a different place.

Lucy said for her, it somewhat changed the way she thought about her school.

“I used to think of Sixth Form as a place where we’d just go for lessons, and then just leave straight away after, but actually seeing other people come in it was like ‘yeah, this is more of a community really, with students and the local area. It’s not just a place of education,” Lucy said.

The students said although they don’t have any set plans, they are hopeful to organise another event with Acorn Lodge in the future, possibly for a summer party at the end of term.

The students were serving hot drinks and cupcakes, singing carols, playing old songs and movies and engaging residents in dancing.

This was a lovely afternoon spent at the College,  which brought lots of smiles to residents faces.

With that objective in mind and with great motivation in their heart, students formed different groups and started a small competition. In the first week, they approached big companies like Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Co-op to ask for donations, which were sent directly to the school. Students then went on to collect contributions from their families and from staff at King Edward’s, before combining it all to purchase gifts. “In the beginning it was a bit competitive, but by the end we all worked together to make it,” a student explained. Christmas Jumper Day 2021,  on December 10th, was also a great chance for students to raise awareness on their project and one which they took advantage of perfectly. Staff at King Edward’s wore Christmas jumpers and students joined them in keeping up the festive spirit. Setting up different fundraising points around college, they were able to collect more gifts. In the end, they managed to gather a whole range of presents, from fun activity books and beautiful gift sets to very useful warm blankets.

Friends of Acorn Lodge were enthusiastic to put college staff in contact with the care home, providing residents’ names for students to write Christmas cards, and organising the donations’ drop off. Because of current coronavirus restrictions, students were not able to go directly into Acorn Lodge and could only leave gifts outside the home; nonetheless, residents and staff were truly appreciative and sent a Christmas card to students as a thank you.

King Edward’s volunteering programme is a very formative opportunity for scholars. They learn and make use of all sorts of organisational skills, enhancing their ability to work in a team and deliver a project. While doing so, they make an impact on their local community. “Participating in something that’s also going to help people is quite rewarding,” a student said. “It was nice to make residents feel better, especially over Christmas when they can feel most lonely”. Friends of Acorn Lodge truly appreciate the work that staff and students at King Edward’s College carry out, and are very happy to collaborate with them to make all of this become a reality. It is through these acts of love and sharing that residents get to enjoy the festive spirit, as they deserve, while students grasp what ultimately is the “true” essence of Christmas.

The Friends of Acorn Lodge Care Home would like to extend their sincere thanks to the students of King’s Edwards College in Nuneaton for their generous donations of Christmas gifts, and cards.  

Their thoughtful contributions brought joy and festive cheer to the residents, making the holiday season truly special. The students’ kindness, and generosity were deeply appreciated, and helped brighten Christmas for every resident at Acorn Lodge.  

Although coronavirus restrictions have made it harder for students to give their direct help, that hasn’t stopped them from contributing in any way they can. Last Christmas, for example, they supported the care home with donations and took part in the Friend’s Silver Santa Project to give a Christmas stocking to every resident at Acorn Lodge

Friends and King Edward’s College relationship has been cementing over the past five years, as Rachael, Careers and Progression Leader, explains. “I think it’s gone from strength to strength really,” she says. “We’ve got much better at working together, and Friends would often come in if they were in Nuneaton to speak to students and explain exactly what Acorn Lodge is”. At the start of each academic year, students at King Edward’s can choose from a range of enrichment activities, including volunteering in the local community of Nuneaton. As part of this, Friends of Acorn Lodge have been delighted to offer them the opportunity to go inside the care home and support residents. Scholars are interested in Acorn Lodge for different reasons; it could be that they’re looking to go into medicine and nursing or that they feel like giving back to their community. In both cases, it’s an experience that enriches their lives and helps residents — Friends appreciate making this possible.

With coronavirus restrictions in place last Christmas, students were not allowed inside the care home. Therefore, Rachael and her team met with the Friends and the Acorn Lodge’s home manager to discuss ways to benefit residents given the circumstances; they then helped students turn those ideas into reality. Students could participate in the Friend’s Silver Santa Project, which aims to ensure that every resident gets a gift at Christmas and that Friends had carried out at other care homes before. The goal with Acorn Lodge was to ensure every resident would get a Christmas stocking on Christmas morning. To achieve that, students put requests for donations up both on Facebook and in college. They then approached local shops and collected contributions, including sweets and chocolates and general toiletries, from places like the Body Shop and ASDA. Moreover, they could donate extra items to residents thanks to money collected by offering cash for Christmas cards to the staff at King Edward’s.
Students also got together to write their own Christmas cards for residents and, to drop items at the care home, they used Christmas sacks that made everything more festive. To their surprise, as they arrived, they found a group of residents sitting there, waiting to thank them. “They were just so appreciative. It was really really lovely,” Rachael says. Knowing that these actions contributed to the residents’ Christmas happiness was a beautiful and significant achievement.

Both Friends and staff at King Edward’s appreciate the impact their cooperation has on students as well. During the tough time of the pandemic, it has been ever more meaningful to see and support young people coming closer to the reality of the care home. They understood the hardships residents have been going through and empathised with them, recognising Acorn Lodge as a valuable part of their community. Friends are grateful for what they could achieve through this collaboration and would like to thank both students and the King Edward’s College staff who helped make all the generous donations possible. Hopefully, students will be able to go inside Acorn Lodge again soon and support residents directly with the empathy and kindness they have been showing for years.

The Friends of Acorn Lodge Care Home are grateful for generous donations of Christmas gifts and cards from students in King’s Edwards College in Nuneaton.

The students contributed to someone else’s Christmas happiness and made residents really happy and appreciated.

The money will go towards  toiletries such as  shampoos, shower gels, and disposable razors to have a good stock as there has been a shortage lately.  To ease the isolation,  so residents can keep in touch with their friends, relatives and volunteers via Skype or Zoom, part of money will go towards tablets. Part of the budget will be spent on  portable radios and  games such as jigsaws and playing cards to keep residents entertained.

The money will go towards items such as tablets to ease the isolation so residents can keep in touch with their friends,  relatives and volunteers via Skype or Zoom. It will also go towards portable  radios  as residents really enjoy  listening  to the radio. To keep residents entertained money will be also used on games like  playing cards, jigsaws and puzzles. Part of money will be used to buy  toiletries for residents like shampoos, shower gels, razors blades and talc.

Dear Care Home Friend,

In less than a month it feels like everything has changed. As I was looking at my diary for March, we had committee meetings planned for most homes, and lots of volunteers on the brink of starting. I did get to a Dementia Cafe in very early March but within days we were having to look at everything differently.

In all homes, we have no volunteers going in. Understandably, most care homes won’t even allow families to visit residents except in very extenuating circumstances.

We regularly hear from volunteers who want to help, to continue to do something to support the residents and staff of the home that they are supporting. If any of you have any thoughts about something volunteers might practically do, please let us know.

So what are we doing? The King’s Fund, where our offices are located, shut down  at very  short notice. The last few hours looked a bit like we are passengers on the Titanic grabbing the essentials for an unknown period in the lifeboats. At this point, the care homes support team are all set up to work from home.

You may continue to hear from Sona who is totally reviewing and updating all our records relating to volunteers. We are contacting some as part of the process. Also we are continuing to have regular enquiries from people who want to get involved once we come out the other side of this current situation. We are processing their applications, taking up references etc.

Alongside this Said and Kim are getting the financial records up to date. Today is the last day of the care home groups financial year, so there is plenty to do to prepare the draft accounts.

Alongside this we are continuing to look for funders who might support the projects you have told us you would like to do.

So, while perhaps less physically present, we are continuing to work hard to ensure these projects are in the best position they can be, once we return to practical day to day volunteering in the homes.

Once again, if you have any ideas on what else we might do now, do get in touch. In the meantime, do stay safe and well.

With very best wishes

Nichole Wheaton

Head of Projects Delivery
Tel: 020 7307 2570
Email: nichole.wheaton@attend.org.uk
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Even though he just graduated, Prasant is looking to take his studies further and apply for medicine. “I have achieved great things, but I like to push myself and believe that my greatest accomplishment, yet to come, will be when I am finally a doctor”. He finds patient contact more gratifying, and stated, “The interaction between a patient and myself would be more meaningful especially in a 1:1 situation”.

At the care home, Prasant likes to offer his time to help out, and take the residents out for a calm, brisk walk. Often, when the residents do not feel like doing much, he says that a simple conversation will go a long way, eventually making them feel happier. “Sometimes it may not look like they want to be approached, but really, they are just a bit shy”. To this he added, “I had to make sure that I wasn’t too reserved, and instead, be more open”.

He highlighted the massive improvement in his confidence as well as in the way he communicated with the different residents. In addition, he also mentioned his growth in empathy from volunteering. He revealed the need to be mentally tough when going into the care home because, “Every weekend, I see the struggles they face. I push myself to make sure that I use the hours of volunteering I have to make the most out of the experience and make it count “.

When Prasant is not volunteering with the Friends of Acorn Lodge Care Home, he is actively part of his local football team and also attends boxing. In addition to sports, Prasant enjoys winding down to science genres in his spare time as his passion is science phenomenon.

Before becoming a member of staff for the NHS, he said, “I had quite a lot of free time, and I knew that there were many care homes around, so I decided to apply to them all with the hope of getting into one”. As soon as he was given the green signal to start volunteering with the Friends, he was very excited. Prasant values the skills and experience he has gained from volunteering and would definitely recommend the opportunity to anyone because he exclaims that “it will open your eyes”.

Katherine has always enjoyed helping people, having previously volunteered at a charity shop and having work experience in a nursery, and so upon hearing a presentation at her sixth form about the care home, she decided to join.

At Acorn Lodge, Katherine volunteers with the elderly and has been involved in many activities including a magic show, painting groups, helping to serve tea and coffee and generally having a chat with the residents and their visitors. Katherine has found that since beginning her volunteering role, she has developed her communication skills and now feels much more comfortable speaking to new people. She also learned to cope with people who may not want to talk or who may be a bit difficult. She feels she has really connected with the residents and would “definitely” volunteer at a different care home or in a different type of care home in the future. She feels that to be a good volunteer you need to be flexible, ready to help out with anything that needs doing, and able to develop good communication skills, just as she has during her time as a volunteer.

When asked what advice she would give to others who were considering volunteering, Katherine said they need to be open, to try different things within volunteering, and to ensure that they are doing something they like in order to put enjoyment into their work. She said the most important thing is to “Be willing!”

Volunteering with Acorn Lodge has prompted Katherine to consider possibly entering into a nursing or caring field in the future, something she had not previously ever thought about. She said that even if her career path goes a different route, she has been inspired to do something that helps people. Katherine says that the biggest thing she’s gained from volunteering with the elderly is “Feeling that I helped make a difference”, and says that she enjoys visiting the residents and improving a part of their lives. She loves to hear all their different stories and has gained a feeling of satisfaction from helping others. Moreover, her time volunteering has influenced her to want to continue to help people and to volunteer.

Garden Organic proposed to work with Friends of Acorn Lodge, Attend and Avery to support residents to experience meaningful and purposeful gardening activity and maximise their outdoor environment and resources. This included

• Providing support to Friends of Acorn Lodge Volunteers and residents to create an active gardening group.
• Provide support and training to Friends of Acorn Lodge Volunteers to evolve the ownership and sustainable use of the open space for all residents.
• To support and train Friends of Acorn volunteers with a particular interest and enthusiasm for gardening and food growing and to support them to become “Acorn Lodge Growing Champions” through foundation training.
• A Garden Organic sessional worker supporting the staff, volunteers and residents to plan and maintain a productive growing area in the communal gardens.

The Garden Group

The number of people attending this group has varied but is usually around 5 residents. The timing of the gardening sessions changed from the original plan to suit both the volunteers and residents. The best time for the residents is 2pm to 3pm. They join the group after lunch and stop for tea and cake at 3pm. It is hoped in the future that Friends of Acorn Lodge volunteers will be able to share their time between the 1^st floor and ground floor residents separately and then spend additional time in the garden maintaining the plants with the option of residents joining them. Residents are used to having activities at this time of day and they are more alert in the afternoon. One issue has been that many residents have afternoon visitors, but we encouraged the visitors to join our session and that seems to work well.

Friends of Acorn lodge – the staff and volunteers

At the start of the project Garden Organic and Friends of Acorn Lodge recruited volunteers to support the project. Sue Simpson a trainee horticultural therapist and Friend of Acorn Lodge (who was introduced by Garden Organic) visited at the beginning of the project to meet the manager and the wellbeing staff member. We were given a tour of the What Nots room and the garden area and met some of the residents.

The wellbeing staff were very positive about the partnership project and have been supportive of the project throughout. Over the past nine months there has been a large changeover of staff which has made some aspects of the project difficult but all remain positive about the project.

During the course of the project there have been a number of Friends of Acorn Lodge volunteers who have joined the sessions. The amount of sessions they have attended has varied due to their other commitments.

Sue has taken the lead on the project and after initial sessions delivered by Garden Organic’s social and therapeutic horticulturalist (STH), Shirley Martin-Abel, has run the session regularly. Our STH has attended regularly and offered support and advice to Sue and other volunteers throughout. This has been in the form of activity ideas, organisation, modelling sessions and suggestions for where to source resources.

The Garden

The sessions have taken place inside and out. However there were some areas that the staff and residents felt they wanted to address. These included

• The two courtyard gardens within the H shape are mirror images and can be confusing or difficult to navigate when you are in the garden.
• From the landscapers perspective a previous visit from a young person’s group had made a lawned garden difficult to maintain. An edging of slate chips had been put around the lawn which made mowing difficult.
• Any volunteer gardeners or residents needed a base in the garden to store tools and equipment and the potting shed was used as a storage for the residential home.
• In order to go out into the gardens residents from floor one needed staff support to do this
• Residents from the ground floor didn’t think it appropriate that they attended the group in What Nots room, moving upstairs even for an activity was seen by some as a sign their own health was diminishing.

We have taken these into account and tried to find solutions to these areas. The residents, Friends of Acorn Lodge, wellbeing staff and manager have been involved in every decision.  The residents and volunteers have made collages of the plants and colours they would like included.

To resolve the issue with the mirror image of the garden during 2019 the two sides will be colour coordinated with large flower pots to differentiate each side.

The resident chose the colour of the pots from a choice of 5 colours. The colours chosen were lime green and cherry pink. The main reason for choosing bright pots is that it is easier for people to see the difference between the compost and the pot, trough or scoop. This was agreed with Acorn Lodge management

The company we have chosen for the pots, make all their pots from recycled plastic, you can recycle the pots in the future, and they are made in a wind powered factory. The pots come in two sizes, the larger ones can be plated up in situ, the size of the smaller ones allows for them to be taken in and out dependant on the weather and abilities of the gardeners. Troughs have been purchased to use near the potting shed in lime green. These raised troughs can be used to grow vegetable in and are at the perfect height for wheelchair or seated gardeners.

All pots are at Acorn lodge ready for use. The majority of the compost is still at Ryton Organic gardens. There is a potting shed which is due to be cleared and used for storage of the garden group equipment and resources. The compost will be delivered when this is ready.

A plastic box with the gardening groups table top equipment is kept in the What Nots room. The gardening box contains garden tidy trays, pots, seed and gravel trays, dibbers, watering bottles and gloves. Seeds and plants for the pots at being looked after by volunteers until storage is available and the weather improves.

Training

The volunteers and staff at Acorn Lodge have been supported and/or mentored by an experienced social and therapeutic horticulturalist. Informal training has taken place on a regular basis with GO staff attending sessions, working alongside volunteers, modelling activity and providing feedback. We have worked with staff and volunteers on planning the programme of activities and discussed the planning and preparation required for activities.

In February 2019 we ran a training session for any staff, residents or volunteers who wanted to participate. The session included;

• Basic horticultural skills to provide indoor and outdoor activity sessions
• How to develop a gardening club
• Encouraging people to go into the garden

Some feedback from this session;

100% of attendees ‘strongly agreed’ that they felt more confident to set up gardening activities and get people growing

100% of attendees ‘strongly agreed’ that they had learnt some basic horticultural skills and gained some new ideas for indoor & outdoor activity.

One participant said,’ Had  great day and feel much more confident’

Sessions

The timetable of session and training days change to meet the needs of Acorn Lodge wellbeing staff, the residents and the Friends of Acorn Lodge.

The sessions began on the 26^th June we completed

6 weekly sessions

8 fortnightly sessions

4 meetings with wellbeing staff and managers

4 sessions were cancelled through limited staff availability or rooms being decorated

Activities

In every session we aimed to provide the 5 ways to mental wellbeing: Connect, Be active, Keep learning , Give to others, Be mindful.

The gardening group dried flowers from the pots they had grown and then made dried flower bookmarks. We used old tie presses for the flower presses which brought about lots of conversations and laughter as people tried to guess what the contraption was used for originally. The bookmarks, lavender bags and potted plants were sold at the summer fete. We hope to produce more items in the future that can be used on a Friends of Acorn Lodge stall in the summer and at Christmas. To have an opportunity to be productive at all stages of life is very important.

Everyone loved making and then tasting their own jam and butter. Lots of resident could remember using a butter churn when younger. We label everything we make with made by the residents and Friends of Acorn Lodge stickers.

We did a project about NASA house plants and looked at the benefits of having indoor plants.

We grew microgreens of snow peas, radish, cress, kale and broccoli. We added pomegranates to our microgreens to make a tasty salad that we all tried and then grew the pomegranates from saved seed.

Our broad beans were sown by request of a residents who dreams of eating a broad bean and bacon fry up which she assures us is very tasty.

Several residents could bring to mind knowledge from their past. One resident saw that we were planting onions in the troughs and dragged the trough towards himself. He began planting the all the onions in perfect straight lines to the correct depth and was clearly thrilled with his onions at the end of the session.

We made a picture bingo game to practice naming flowers and birds in the garden. Specialist garden jigsaw puzzles from Active Minds were completed. Some residents were very pleased that they could finish them unaided and others were happy to have one to one support and chat at the same time.

We propagated houseplants, herbs and garden flowers from seeds, stem and leaf cuttings and division.

We provided and decorated a potted Christmas tree for the What Nots room, it can be grown on each year outside and brought in for each Christmas.

The future

Sue Simpson is using the garden as part of her design work for her course.  She has some great ideas for the garden moving forward and is keen to carry on the work we have started with the continued support of the wellbeing staff.

Weather resistant garden hand tools will be left in the pots so that anyone can weed or turn the soil without having to find staff to find the tools.

We hope to be involved with the Nuneaton in Bloom competition in some way.

We have a donated caterpillar raised bed and bright trugs that are being used as the basis for  making a grandparent’s garden with.  Many grandparents at the home miss the opportunity to pass on their gardening skills and like activities to do when their grandchildren come to visit. We have found an area of the garden suitable and out of the way of resident’s rooms where we can place a grandparent’s garden and have plastic tools, watering cans and seeds available for use.

In 2019 the wellbeing staff have arranged for a florist to visit as an activity and we hope to be able to produce flowers and stems for the group to use.

A final thought…

At the end of one session when we were supporting people back to the resident’s lounges a staff member asked if we had all been to the pub, she said she had never seen the residents so animated.

Thanks

Thanks goes to The Community Fund and the staff at and Friends of Acorn Lodge for their contribution to this project. A special mention to David Wood and Nichole Wheaton whose continued support has made this project possible.

Photographs

There are a selection of photographs from the sessions available on the Acorn Lodge Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AcornLodgeCareHome/

Shirley, the Horticultural Therapist from Organic Gardens, prepared and brought along a number of pots for the residents and helpers to plant up a variety of flowers. These included plants such as cyclamen, primulas, tulips and a mixture of daffodils. Some pansy seedlings were also brought along and were transplanted into trays using a dibber, with the help of the volunteers and residents.

After all the gardening, the afternoon was topped off with scrummy tea and some cake which all the residents and visitors enjoyed as a reward for their lovely work done with the flower pots.

Friends of Acorn Lodge are a group of enthusiastic volunteers who aim to improve the well-being of the residents of Acorn Lodge Care Home. Together with Garden Organic, Friends of Acorn Lodge have developed a project to support residents in gardening activities to help them stay healthy and socially engaged.

Garden Organic is the UK’s leading organic growing charity which develops programmes promoting organic methods amongst growers in the country and overseas. Not only does Garden Organic tackle socio-economic issues by promoting organic growth amongst families who are at risk of food poverty (Southwark), but also offer a range of horticultural activities for people with learning disabilities (Ryton) and prisoners (Rugby) in a supportive environment. The organisation’s projects help service users bolster their physical and mental health, reduce stress as well as build confidence and learn new skills. The liaison of Friends of Acorn Lodge and Garden Organic facilitates an opportunity for the residents to live life more joyously.

The benefits of gardening are endless but most importantly it is an excellent exercise. Moving around in the garden and looking after the plants means the residents will be able to increase physical strength, mobility and hand grip without putting excessive strain on their bodies.

Another aim of the Garden Project is to help the residents improve their mental well-being. The ability to harvest one’s own plants will also be a boost of confidence and a perfect topic to discuss with others over a cup of tea. Additionally, gardening outdoors means spending more time in the sun. Thanks to this residents will notice a positive change in their mood as well as find themselves more stress-relieved.

Gardening in a care home is a way for residents to get together. With this project, specially-trained volunteers will engage with the residents to cultivate and enjoy the gardening hobby together. A responsibility shared between the residents will give more opportunities to socialise, build new friendships, and eventually bond with other residents or volunteers.

This project will also be an exciting learning process. By tending to plants and occasionally being supported by a Garden Organic team member, residents will have the ability to gain new skills and spark an interest in something that they might not have had an interest in before. This means that regular garden-tending will keep the residents’ mind active which is a helpful technique in Alzheimer’s and dementia care.

With the combined efforts of Friends of Acorn Lodge, Garden Organic as well as the staff and volunteers at Acorn Lodge Care Home, the residents will be given a therapeutic chance to make the most out of their garden and health, and as a result, age gracefully.

They did this by planting new plants and flowers around the garden which added colour to the outside of the home and made the space more inviting to animals and residents alike. Additionally, the group of volunteers created a ‘Bug Hotel’ which would mean more little critter would be seen roaming the garden of the home, which was very much appreciated by the Home’s residents.

What this means is that the residents make greater use of the garden, as now when they go outside they are welcomed by beautiful flowers and can behold all the wildlife that now resides in the garden, amidst the plants and flowers.

Liz is sporty and is planning to go to university to study History, so while volunteering isn’t directly related to her goals, she enjoys the sense of community that volunteering gives her. Acorn Lodge is a care home for the elderly and Liz has encountered people who just like a bit of company as well as those with dementia who need a bit more care. The volunteering role that Liz provides is to have a chat with people, and she and her friends run a ‘coffee shop’ within the home to encourage residents to enjoy some tea and cake and have some interaction with them. She sometimes checks that they have everything in their rooms stocked up such as shampoo and other supplies. It is important to the care home that the residents have independence and so Liz spends time with residents who have chosen to come and see the volunteers.

Liz has always liked the idea of volunteering, and when David gave his presentation at her sixth form she felt it was a great opportunity to give it a go. Liz feels that it’s important as if it were a member of her family in a care home, she would want someone to take the time to do even the little things to improve their day. When Liz first started volunteering, she found it a bit unnerving and wasn’t sure what to expect; however she has surprised herself with her adaptability and her efficacy in dealing with new situations. She said that she would recommend volunteering to others and advise them to stick with it. Liz described the first day as the “biggest hurdle” but afterwards said she was able to learn and develop her skills, and to learn that a person’s mental capacity may affect how they respond. She volunteers with some people with extreme memory loss and she has learned not to take it personally if they don’t want to chat.

Liz has found the experience to be “the most fulfilling thing” she’s ever done! She advises others that to volunteer you need to “expect the unexpected”, be confident and outgoing, and ensure that you are able to liaise with the care home if you have any issues or concerns. Liz explained that volunteering has given her a new perspective and increased her empathy, as she’s learned more about dementia and spent time with elderly people. She has developed a huge respect for care workers as she has seen the nice side of volunteering, and yet knows the hard work that care workers do on a daily basis. While she has a different career goal in mind, she said a friend of hers has been inspired to go into the medical field due to volunteering at Acorn Lodge. Liz’s Enrichment course has now finished but she has decided to continue volunteering at Acorn Lodge over the summer, as she found it “amazing!”

As part of it the Chairman brought his two family pets Milly and Herbie along, so that residents, family, staff and visitors could have a cuddle, and guess the weight of the Dachhund.

We are delighted to announce:

Allison Wright as the winner of the Moet and Chandon, Magnum with the closet weight for Milly and Carl Fleetwood with the closest weight for Herbie. Won the large Jar of Easter Eggs.

A big thank you to the staff at Acorn for organising such a lovely Afternoon.

The Friends are currently speaking to local churches and schools to see if there might be interest in becoming involved. They have also submitted bids to raise funds to improve the garden and to purchase mobile multi sensory equipment for residents with dementia

On the 21^st  June 2016 The Friends group held their first meeting at the care home to formally appoint a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Committee Members, to agree the constitution, adopt policies and procedure and discuss business related to formation of the group.  We were joined by relatives, residents, staff and volunteers.

The Friends are currently discussing a potential gardening project with a local organisation and hope to have this in place in the near future