Allegra Care Takes Top Prize in The Carer Coffee Morning Competition with Spectacular Upcycled Fashion Show
THE CARER Coffee Morning Competition celebrates care homes across the nation raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support
When THE CARER invited care homes around the country to share their Coffee Morning celebrations on 26th September, coinciding with Macmillan’s annual Coffee Morning, we knew the sector would rise to the occasion!
After all, care homes understand better than most the importance of community, compassion, and supporting those who need it most.
With a £50 Marks & Spencer prize on offer, we were inundated with nominations from dedicated care homes nationwide, each showcasing the creativity, heart, and community spirit that makes this sector so special. The entries were truly outstanding, making our decision incredibly difficult.
A Fashion Show Two Months in the Making
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that this year’s winners are Allegra Care’s nursing homes Olive Tree House and Rose Garden in Patchway, near Bristol, who went above and beyond with their joint Upcycled Fashion Show – an event that took two months of preparation and captured the imagination of their entire community.
The homes transformed recycled materials into stunning fashion pieces for their catwalk extravaganza. Residents breathed new life into old clothes, adding fresh buttons, decorative trims, and hand-painted designs. In a powerful environmental statement, they even created a giant plastic bottle sculpture made entirely from plastic bottles, highlighting that 34 million plastic bottles are used daily in the UK, with only half being recycled.
A Community Affair
Catherine Crawshaw, Regional Resident Liaison Manager, painted a vivid picture of the day’s festivities: “There was also lots of fun with a summer holiday theme of fish ‘n’ chips and ice creams and the only song to accompany these models was ‘We’re all going on a Summer Holiday’! The models were residents, family members, team members, church and college volunteers all of whom made the event such a success.”
But the star performers were undoubtedly the children from neighbouring Happy Days Nursery. “A special shout out has to go to the children of neighbouring Happy Days Nursery who all designed their own t-shirts and walked down the catwalk with Home Manager, Vlad, who dressed as a box to go with their catwalk song ‘Big Fish, Little Fish’!” Catherine enthused. “The children were amazing to take part in two fashion shows and raise money from the sale of their t-shirts – what absolute super stars.”
Making a Difference
The combined efforts of Happy Days Nursery, Olive Tree House, and Rose Garden have raised over £150 for Macmillan Cancer Support – funds that will make a real difference to people living with cancer across the UK.
Once again, the care sector has demonstrated that when it comes to bringing communities together for a worthy cause, you simply cannot be beaten.
Congratulations to everyone at Allegra Care, and thank you to every care home that participated in this year’s Coffee Morning competition.
You truly did not disappoint us – you inspired us.
