The Crafty Women of Corbridge manned a stall at the Northumberland County Show last Friday, fundraising on behalf of the Charlotte Straker Project by selling beautiful handmade clothes, decorations and soft furnishings. It was a great opportunity to fundraise (we raised £187 for our charity), but also to spread the word about the aims and objectives of the Charlotte Straker Project and our respite care bed. Volunteers Ann Wagstaff, Angela Jones and Rosie Cunningham helped set up and manage the stall, assisted by our Chair, Berenice Groves. They told us there was a great deal of interest in our organisation and it was a very busy day with lots of visitors. Well done and thank you to Angela, Rosie, Ann and Berenice and also to the organisers of the County Show, who allowed us to be part of their Indoor Shopping Marquee.
We had a glorious few days of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last week.
The entertainment included music from the Sunshine Panners Steel band, a visit from Tyne Valley Ice Creams, an afternoon tea (generously donated by the Angel of Corbridge), live singing from Ruth Boyd and Kev Beadle and a delicious themed lunch.
Pam, our Registered Manager said ” The decorations looked amazing, especially the life size cut out of Her Majesty the Queen! Our residents absolutely loved the activities over the whole holiday and spent time chatting about their memories of the Coronation and the Silver Jubilee and how much they admired the Royal Family. I was delighted to see every resident joining in the festivities and enjoying the music and special Jubilee themed food”.
Muriel said “I think the Queen is absolutely wonderful – it’s her sense of duty that impresses me the most.”
Margaret commented “I loved the singing and enjoyed the music from the steel band. It made it such a special day – I’m glad I was able to watch all the processions on TV as well”.
Everyone admired the smart outfits worn by the Royal Family at the Jubilee Thanksgiving service and also the good behaviour of the royal children during the Jubilee Parade! It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying the day – thank you to all those staff, volunteers and trustees who helped and organised and made it such a success.
Piers Dickinson is undertaking a very challenging bike ride, in order to fundraise for two charities – ourselves and Cure Parkinsons.
Piers is cycling from Land’s End to John o’ Groats to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of his father, Billy Dickinson. Billy was actively involved in setting up the Charlotte Straker Project, and was on the Board of Trustees, as well as being Chairman of the Corbridge Parish Council.
Piers commented “I know if he was still alive he would have wanted me to support this wonderful project at the heart of the local community in the Tyne Valley”.
Berenice Groves, our Chair of the Trustees added “we are so grateful to Piers and his family for supporting our charity in this way. Billy Dickinson was a key figure in founding our charity, and some of the Trustees and staff that have been with us from the very start remember him well. We’d like to wish Piers the very best of luck on his cycle ride and would urge any of our supporters to donate to his challenge page. The donation from the challenge will be spent on essential resources and equipment for our residents at Charlotte Straker House.”
If you would like to support Piers’ fundraising, his JustGiving page and additional information can be found here: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/fabpcycling
Linda has worked at Charlotte Straker House as part of the accounts team for the past four years.
She recently left the role and on her last day kindly donated a Samsung Smart TV to be installed in Margaret, our resident’s, room.
Margaret told us, “I love my television. Where I lived before, the TV wasn’t large or clear enough for me to see or hear properly, but I can watch this one with no problem. I enjoy the news every day and lots of the evening programmes.”
We’re extremely grateful for the generous donation – thank you Linda, the gift is very much appreciated!
Shirley, a lady from Haltwhistle, is currently staying in our Community Respite Care Bed. She joined our coffee morning today and was telling us how much she is enjoying staying in the respite care bed. She said “Jayne, the Activities Coordinator, was so very welcoming and helped me settle in when I first arrived. I’m definitely coming back, and in fact I’ve booked another week in September. The staff are wonderful, the food is delicious and my favourite thing is to meet and have a chat with all the new people.” Over a cup of tea and a biscuit Shirley, Margaret, Muriel and Colin were chatting about the different parts of the world they’ve all visited – Shirley loves New Zealand and Margaret’s favourite place was the Seychelles.
Lillian, a lovely lady who is currently staying in our Community Respite Care Bed has been telling us how much she is enjoying her stay. Lillian lives in sheltered housing in Hexham but booked some time at Charlotte Straker House for some extra “one to one” care. She commented “this care home is heavenly. It’s a revelation as it’s so quiet and peaceful, and yet there’s so much going on”. She added, “I’ve met some wonderful people and had coffee outside most mornings.” Lillian enjoys sitting in our gardens, bird watching and reading peacefully in the sunshine. She is a wonderful, positive lady and has had a very interesting, busy life and is a huge favourite with our staff. We hope she comes back to visit us soon. The photo shows her enjoying coffee and a chat in the upstairs lounge with Margaret, Colin and Muriel. If you would like to book a short stay in our free of charge respite care bed please call our Deputy Manager on 01434 633 999 or email office@charlottestraker.org.uk
Margaret celebrated her birthday this month with a home made cream sponge cake, visits from family and gifts and cards galore. She told us that “I feel very spoilt and it was lovely to see my grandson and other family.” Happy Birthday Margaret – we’re so pleased we can make a fuss of you on your special day.
We have enjoyed our Easter celebrations with a delivery of fish and chips, an easter egg decorating competition, bunny afternoon tea boxes, individual easter eggs and lots of fun and laughter. On Good Friday our residents enjoyed fish and chips from a local takeaway. Margarent commented that ” the fish was fresh and the chips crispy!” After a crafting afternoon making decorated eggs, our Trustee Peter Wood visited on Easter Sunday and alongside resident Margaret judged the egg decorating competition. Alan and Joy were delighted to win with their eggy entries. Our kitchen team made a delicious afternoon tea which was presented in the cutest rabbit boxes and served alongside individual easter eggs. On Bank Holiday Monday we enjoyed the sunshine by sitting outside in our gardens. Muriel commented “I loved the Easter decorations and the Easter cake.” Lillian said “I’m so pleased that I was given an Easter egg and I loved the rabbit boxes.” Thank you to all the staff and volunteers who made this Easter so bright and cheerful.
Pam, our Registered Manager, joined our residents for coffee last week and presented some highlights of her recent holiday in the Cairngorms. The photos gave a real flavour of the beautiful landscape, the panoramic views from the peaks and the dramatic lochs. Everyone enjoyed Pam’s descriptions of her holiday. Colin told us about his trip up Ben Nevis whilst wearing a pair of cycling shoes (!) and remarked “it’s good for the soul to see these views”. Muriel knows the area very well and had a great chat about her favourite spots, reminiscing about the best places for hiking and shorter walks.
The Charlotte Straker Project
Charlotte Straker, Cookson Close
Corbridge, NE45 5HB
01434 633999
office@charlottestraker.org.uk
