No Red Cards Or Off-Sides – Just Plenty Of Goal Scoring At Bernard Sunley Care Home

The ‘Beautiful Game’ has kicked off at Bernard Sunley, the Woking-based residential, nursing and dementia care home run by charity Friends of the Elderly, with weekly exercise and team building sessions delivered by Cardinals in the Community, the charitable arm of Woking Football Club.

“I was keen to introduce a new, interactive and inclusive activity for the residents, “ said Cristina Lopez, one of the Activities Coordinators at Bernard Sunley. “Knowing that a lot of our residents love football, and especially Woking Football Club, I contacted Cardinals in the Community to ask if they would be able to deliver weekly sessions. They were more than happy to host a weekly meaningful activities class, now it’s probably the most popular activity we have on our weekly calendar.”

Cardinals in the Community’s Owen Sims visits Bernard Sunley each week to get the residents match ready. “We work on a real mix of exercises and sports with the residents, which we adapt to suit everyone’s individual abilities,” said Owen. “We always begin with a light warm up, followed by an inclusive game which the residents can all take part in and finish off the session with a gentle cool down and stretching exercises.”

“The games Owen gets the residents engaged with change each week,” added Cristina. “They have played Skittles, Bowling, Throwing The Bean Bags, Magnetic Darts and, of course, Football.”

“The exercises and games we play with the residents are tailored to help with hand and eye coordination, dexterity, balance and flexibility,” continued Owen.

“I also bring team building into each session. We sit in a circle and do a practice round of a game. After the practice round, we go around the circle again, playing the game, working as a team and scoring points. It’s very popular with residents. Even those who are not that sporting like to join in – several surprising themselves with their sporting ability.

“There are over 18 residents who regularly join the sessions with more taking part each week, with a quite a few supporters watching and cheering their care home friends on,” said Cristina.

“The residents all really enjoy it and we now have a few that especially come to this activity as they enjoy it so much. This is very positive as it has motivated and encouraged the residents to come out of their rooms and get engaged, active and socialise together,” continued Andy Cumper, the Registered Manager at Bernard Sunley.