Residents At Cheshire Care Home Explore Town In Style Thanks To Relationship With Local Rickshaw Charity
A Cheshire care home is helping its residents explore their community in style through its relationship with a local rickshaw provider — furthering its commitment to offer diverse and engaging activities.
Priesty Fields Care Home, in Congleton, has teamed up with Beartown Rickshaw, a local provider of unique transportation experiences, to bring joy, adventure, and a sense of community to the residents by offering them a fun and memorable activity right at their doorstep.
The home offers its residents and their family members the opportunity to relish in some fresh air and explore the scenic beauty of Congleton, a town in which many of them grew up. The Beartown team, which is solely made up of volunteers, bring the rickshaw directly to the care home with the tours being tailored to each individual, ranging anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.
Resident, Vincent Armstrong, said: “I absolutely loved the rickshaw ride, I felt like a king sat in the carriage waving to folk on the way.”
The relationship aligns perfectly with Priesty Fields Care Home’s commitment to enhancing its residents’ quality of life. By offering this unique experience, the care home aims to promote physical activity, stimulate conversation, and create lasting memories — three essential ingredients to delivering meaningful care.
Gill Williams, Home Manager at Priesty Fields, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating: “We are thrilled to join forces with Beartown Rickshaw and offer this exciting activity for our residents. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to explore our beautiful town, engage with their fellow residents, and reconnect with the community that many of them grew up in. It’s also great to see family members joining in as it offers a nice change from regular visits.”
Anthony Bolding, from Beartown Rickshaw, added: “It’s a real pleasure to work alongside Priesty Fields Care Home and to contribute to the well-being of its residents. Our rickshaw tours have always been about creating magical moments and bringing smiles to people’s faces. Through this partnership, we hope to brighten the lives of the residents and create cherished memories for everyone involved.”
£1,400 raised from Care Home Open Week for care charities.
The residents and team from Athena Care Homes are celebrating after taking on fundraising challenges and holding a spectacular Summer Fete in aid of two key charities working in the care sector.
As part of Athena Care Homes’ Care Home Open Week celebrations, the team and residents at Goodwins Hall Care Home in King’s Lynn, laid on an amazing summer fete which featured a BBQ, live entertainment, local stall holders, crafts, activities, games for children, and much more.
During the event Lucy Hoddy and Katie Wright, from Athena’s Learning and Development team, took on a ‘pie to the face’ challenge to raise money for the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) and the Care Workers’ Charity. Lucy and Katie were asked a series of 20 challenging trivia questions, put together by our residents. When they were unsuccessful with their answers, they received a pie to the face – thrown by the residents, friends, family, and even some of the Athena team!
Lucy Hoddy, Learning and Development Manager at Athena Care Homes, said, “It was fantastic to be able to join the Goodwins Hall team for their Summer Fete. NAPA and the Care Workers’ Charities provide essential services which our teams and residents really benefit from. I’m really delighted we’ve been able to make a significant contribution to them both.”
The light-hearted fun turned out to be a huge hit with residents and the local community, with the charitable donations from the day reaching a grand total of £1,400 which will be shared evenly between both charities.
Michael Butler, Engagement Officer at NAPA, and Neil Flack, National Accounts Manager at the Care Workers’ Charity, both joined the residents at Goodwins Hall for a cheque presentation and to express their thanks to the Goodwins Hall residents.
Neil Flack said, “The Care Workers’ Charity reached a momentous milestone this week and we know that we couldn’t have awarded 10,000 grants without the support from companies like Athena Care Homes and their wonderful staff. Today has not only been a great experience for all involved but the funds raised with help support care workers across the UK. Thank you again to everyone who made it such a success.”
Michael Butler from NAPA added, “We are incredibly grateful for the generous donation from Athena Care Homes and their commitment to supporting the care sector. The National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) plays a vital role in promoting and enhancing the quality of life for individuals in care homes through meaningful activities and engagement. With the funds raised, we will be able to further our efforts in providing resources, training, and support to activity providers across the country. We applaud Athena Care Homes for their dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of the individuals the support and for recognising the importance of our work.”
