Atherton Care Home Goes Own Under

The Chanters care home in Atherton, Greater Manchester, has celebrated Australia Day in true antipodean style with cork hats and inflatable native creatures.

The home, based on Tyldesley Old Road, held an afternoon of fun for the residents with themed games including a bushtucker trial where residents ate creepy crawly shaped sweets rather than the real thing!

Exploring and celebrating different countries and cultures is an important part of The Chanters activities plan, enabling residents to learn more about countries they may not have visited.

The residents also shared stories of exciting places they have visited in the past, while enjoying a Fosters shandy together.

Sybil Downham, age 93, a resident at The Chanters, said: “I really enjoyed the Australia Day afternoon, especially playing the games. We had a giant inflatable spider that we threw rings onto its legs to score points! When it was my turn to spin the bushtucker trial wheel I had to eat a pretend snail, it was horrible, but I washed it down with my shandy.”

Anne Hargreaves, home manager at The Chanters, said: “The residents had a lot of fun celebrating Australia Day, and the bushtucker trial game was a hit! You’re never too old to learn and it’s important that we all take time to understand more about other cultures and countries, and it was very interesting to discover more about the animals and creatures that are native to Australia.”