Margaret S, one of our residents, challenged Megan, a student nurse, to a game of Connect 4 in the sunshine. We have bought some oversized tabletop games to encourage everyone to have a go – as well as being great fun they help improve hand/eye coordination and concentration. Margaret and Megan had a great game with some friendly competition, especially as Margaret remembered playing the game when she was younger. Everyone loves making the most of the good weather and sitting in our beautiful gardens in the sunshine.
This week’s weather was lovely and warm, so our residents sat on the outside decking, under the shade of our awning, and enjoyed a glass of sangria and a selection of tapas – they said it was just like being on holiday in Spain!
Regular musicians Roley and Richard visited as part of the afternoon and everyone sang along to the well-known songs, whilst enjoying some authentic tapas including stuffed peppers, olives, sundried tomatoes, Parma ham, salami and anchovies.
Colin really enjoyed the afternoon and said, “please can we do this again next week?!”.
Peter L loved trying all the different olives, whilst Margaret G, Margaret S and Muriel agreed that it was lovely to taste all the different food.
Our cook Debbie made a jug of sangria, which resident Clare particularly enjoyed. Some residents told us they had never tasted it before but found it very refreshing.
Thank you to Roley and Richard for their singing and everyone who helped us with the afternoon – it was very popular, so we’ll definitely be doing it again!
Our residents indulged in the finer things in life recently with a cheese and wine tasting afternoon organised by our Activities Coordinator. Everyone had the opportunity to savour a variety of delicious cheeses paired with red and white wines and spent time exploring the flavours, aromas, and textures. We enjoyed tasting a delectable selection of artisan cheeses including creamy brie, tangy Roquefort, nutty Gouda and sharp Cheddar, and a blind variety of carefully chosen wines. John B enjoyed the tasting session so much he said “I’d like to do another one, as soon as possible! I really loved choosing my favourites.” Colin said, “the Italian wine really complemented all the Italian cheeses – they went perfectly together.” The most popular wines were a red and white from Spain and France and the sharp Cheddar and Stilton were the favourite cheeses.
Our residents entered the spirit of the coronation this month by baking fairy cakes for the recent St Andrew’s Church coronation cake competition. Helped by our cook Helen, they spent the afternoon mixing, baking, and decorating. John told us “this is the first time I’ve ever made a cake!”. Margaret and Muriel shared their best tips and tricks for creating a light sponge cupcake. After the judging, we found out that our resident’s cakes were Highly Commended and our cook Debbie had won first in the Professional Category for her Coronation Fruit Cake! Well done to our bakers and well done Debbie – the prizes were very much deserved. All the cakes were sold to raise money for our charity and the Corbridge Youth Initiative – thank you to all the organisers, judge Carol Malia and everyone who bought a cake.
Our Spring newsletter is now out!
With an introduction from our Chair of the Trustees, plus packed with stories and photos.
Please click on the link below to read
If you or anyone you know would like to receive a postal or emailed copy of our quarterly newsletter please email our Marketing Manager on sally.urwin@charlottestraker.org.uk. Please share – thank you!
Looking for extra support caring for your loved one? Charlotte Straker House is excited to announce that we now offer day respite care to the community. Whether you need a break for a few hours or for most of the day, our compassionate team is here to provide the personal care and high-quality attention your loved one needs. Give yourself some peace of mind and let our specialist team help you provide the best care possible. Contact us today on 01434 633 999 or email office@charlottestraker.org.uk to learn more about our day respite care services!
Our
We’re excited to announce that Charlotte Straker House is hosting a summer fete on Saturday 10th June and we’d love to invite you all to come and join us for a day of fun and festivities! 
And even more exciting, it will be opened at 2pm by best-selling author, and Charlotte Straker supporter, L J Ross Author
There will be plenty of entertainment for all ages, including games, live music, a children’s corner and delicious cakes, teas and coffees and icecream. Plus, there will be stalls selling books, handmade crafts, two tombolas plus a raffle. 
This event is the perfect opportunity to bring your family and friends to enjoy a beautiful summer day and to meet our amazing staff and residents. 
We’re also raising money to fund complementary therapies for our residents so every purchase you make will be contributing towards this goal. 
We can’t wait to see you all there! 
Our residents celebrated the coronation with a day full of activities and events. The staff organized a fun-filled day for the residents to commemorate the historic event, and it was a huge success. On Saturday we watched a live broadcast of the coronation ceremony on the big screen TVs in the lounges. Muriel told us “I think Princess Charlotte in her white dress and the Princess of Wales looked absolutely beautiful.” Colin said that he had watched the coronation of the late Queen on a tiny TV set when he was younger so watching King Charles’ coronation on a huge TV was “massively different”.
On Sunday the highlight of the day was the coronation tea party, where the residents enjoyed a selection of sandwiches and cakes. The staff had decorated the dining room with red, white, and blue bunting, and everyone was dressed up in their finest attire.
All our volunteers, staff and trustees were invited and they were joined by relatives and family of our residents for music by the Sunshine Panners and our favourite singer Ruth Boyd.
Overall, the coronation celebration was a memorable and enjoyable day for everyone involved, and it was a great opportunity for the residents to come together and celebrate a historic moment in British history.
We had the pleasure of welcoming back the talented Baldy Holly to Charlotte Straker House this month! The residents were thrilled to see him again and listen to him singing a medley of hits from the 1960s onwards. Everyone was very impressed with his silver lame suit 😊 Avril our volunteer was up dancing and encouraged everyone else to get involved, clapping and singing along. Thank you to Baldy for brightening up our day!
Our gardens are looking absolutely blooming beautiful at the moment with swathes of bright spring flowers appearing across our lawns and raised beds. We were given a donation of hundreds of daffodil bulbs and our gardener has been very busy planting them in order to give us this very cheerful display.
Our resident Muriel said “the gardens are lovely at the moment, especially the daffodils.” When the weather is warm enough Margaret S likes to sit outside in the afternoons, and said “I think the hanging baskets are very beautiful this year, and the scent of the flowers is wonderful”. Ernie also loves sitting outside in the sunshine and said “the daffodils are wonderful – especially the flowers in the window boxes.”
The Charlotte Straker Project
Charlotte Straker, Cookson Close
Corbridge, NE45 5HB
01434 633999
office@charlottestraker.org.uk
