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Celebrating Margaret’s Birthday

Happy Birthday to Margaret S, one of our amazing care home residents! We celebrated Margaret’s 83rd birthday last week and we couldn’t be more grateful to have her as a part of our community. She loves wearing cheerful colours, so the Charlotte Straker team gave her a bright fuchsia pink cardigan. She said “oh, I love this colour, it’s one of my favourites and it’ll go with lots of things in my wardrobe. Thank you!” After blowing the candles out on her chocolate birthday cake Margaret opened cards and presents whilst everyone sang happy birthday. #carehome #birthdaycelebration #elderlycare

Thank you to the Tynedale Rotary

Adrian Eley, President of Tynedale Rotary visited Charlotte Straker House last week to present us with a cheque from their recent Wine Tasting Event. The Rotarians raised a very generous £1,800 from the wine evening, and our Chair of the Trustees, Berenice Groves commented “I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came to the Wine Tasting Event. It was a fantastic evening, full of fun and laughter, and it was also a great opportunity to give everyone attending the chance to learn more about the impact that their donations have on the individuals who live at Charlotte Straker House. The funds raised from this event will fund resident trips and activities throughout 2023. Thank you to Adrian plus all those who attended, sponsored and supported us in any way – it is very much appreciated.”

Congratulations to Helen Coombes

Big congratulations to our talented chef Helen Coombes for achieving Production Chef Level 2 certification! Helen had to provide evidence of highly methodical organisational skills, energy, accuracy, attention to detail and sustainability and passed with flying colours. We are so proud of Helen’s hard work and dedication in pursuing her passion for cooking and we’re excited to see what delicious creations she’ll come up with next.  Some of the resident’s family members commented “We are particularly grateful to Helen for her thoughtfulness and care in making Dad the food he enjoys” plus “Helen is exceptional and she cares about what she does and tries to prepare food she knows will encourage residents to eat. She is an asset to Charlotte Straker House”. Congratulations to Helen from us all!

Singing with Notelets

A lovely group of singers called Notelets visited and sang some great music from the 1930s to the 1960s. The residents loved it, sang along and clapped and the smiles of their faces were priceless. Stuart said “the music is great” and Joan, a bungalow resident, said “I liked the music very much.”  Thank you very much to them for their visit – we look forward to seeing them again soon.

Visiting the New Born Lambs and Errington Coffee Shop

We had an amazing day recently visiting a local farm to see the new born lambs as well as a visit to a coffee shop. The farm is owned by Sally Urwin, a member of our staff team, and she showed our residents the latest arrivals, the mums and babies and the farm pony. Muriel, Jane and John loved holding Sweetpea the lamb in the farm shed, and Sally took Sweetpea onto the bus so that Margaret and Colin could say hello and have a cuddle. John told us “I loved seeing the farm and the lamb was just gorgeous.” Muriel said “We used to look after pet lambs so its lovely to see them again.” After the trip to the farm we then went for a coffee and cake to the Errington Coffee Shop. The ladies in the coffee shop looked after us so well! Thank you to everyone who was involved in the organisation of the day – it was a super Easter trip out.

Good Friday Fish and Chips

We celebrated Good Friday with a classic British tradition – fish and chips! The Angel of Corbridge brought their Angel Fish van and cooked the meals on site so they were delicious and hot. It was a fun and delicious way to bring everyone together and enjoy the Easter holiday. It was a great opportunity for us to share stories and memories of past Good Fridays.  Thank you to the staff from the Angel for their hard work – they were so efficient and quick.