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!
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.
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.
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.
We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came to the Tynedale Rotary’s Wine Tasting Quiz at the weekend and helped raise funds for our residents. Everyone enjoyed an evening of good wine and great company, tasting a selection of wines from different regions and grape varieties. Alongside the quiz and main raffle the Crafty Women also sold their “eco-bags” to raise funds for our charity.
Berenice Groves, our Chair of the Trustees, said “it was a fantastic evening, a fun and sociable way to learn all about the different wines and their origins and flavours. It was also a great opportunity to give everyone attending the opportunity to learn more about our work and the impact that their donations have on the individuals who live at Charlotte Straker House. The funds raised from this event will fund a residents’ trip to the Sage Concert Hall, which is the peak highlight of the Charlotte Straker yearly activities calendar! Thank you to all those who attended, sponsored and supported us in any way – it is very much appreciated.”
We enjoyed a visit from Roley and Richard last week who came to perform for our residents. They sang lots of songs, from the 50s right up to the 80s and we all loved it! Clare told us she could hear all the music and she enjoyed clapping along whilst Alan sang out loud and volunteers Avril and Jane got up and danced around the lounge. It was amazing to see how music has the power to brighten our residents’ day and the joy on their faces as they sang along and clapped was infectious. Huge shoutout to Roley and Richard for spreading so much happiness and love today ❤️🎶 #musictherapy #carehomevisit #spreadlove
Our Board is currently made up of inspiring individuals from many different walks of life, working collaboratively to ensure we hold our vision and mission at our heart and make a significant difference in the lives of our residents.
Who do we need?
To help our organisation grow and reach our future objectives we are inviting new volunteer trustees to join our Board this spring, those who live in the North East and have experience in one of the following areas:
- legal
- quality
- general business experience
- fundraising
We need individuals that have a genuine interest in, and enthusiasm for residential care for the elderly and are committed to making a real difference to the quality of life for the home’s residents. This is an exciting moment to join the Charlotte Straker Project, as we transition to our next business plan and look forward to a full and exciting programme of activity ahead.
What are our Trustees’ responsibilities?
• All Trustees are volunteers and also Directors on the Board.
• The Board is responsible for setting the strategy and policies of the Charlotte Straker Project and guides and supports the Chair of the Board, the Registered Manager and their trustees and staff.
• We hold quarterly board meetings, March, June, September, December with an annual AGM in September.
• We have 3 main committees: Quality; Finance & Governance; and Strategic Planning which feed into the Board but our Fundraising and Marketing Group is critical to our charity.
What do we offer?
• We offer a comprehensive induction, full training and ongoing support
• We genuinely value the perspective and contribution of our trustees
• A productive working relationship with fellow trustees, management and staff
• A friendly and welcoming community and a lively and varied social and fundraising programme
To find out more about joining the Board, please contact our Chair of the Board, Berenice Groves on Berenice.groves@charlottestraker.org.uk or on 07736397724
THE staff, residents and volunteers have had “flipping” good fun during our annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day celebrations.
Tossing pancakes in a traditional frying pan can be very heavy so instead we tossed tortilla wraps on badminton rackets! Each resident had a go flipping the tortilla “pancakes” and after a very competitive tournament it was decided that Jane had the highest score, followed by our volunteer Avril.
It was great fun and there was lots of laughter. Muriel commented “This is a much lighter way to flip a pancake and I managed to get some of them quite high!”
The tortilla/badminton competition was great fun and everyone definitely enjoyed their serving of proper pancakes, cooked to order by our kitchen staff.
Love was most definitely in the air at Charlotte Straker House on Valentines’ Day this year. We organised a scrummy chocolate fountain, with the choice of marshmallows, strawberries and banana to dip into the melted chocolate, which was very popular, even if the chocolate did tend to drip everywhere! We also had a visit from Kevin – a talented singer who entertained everyone with a selection of popular classics, including some memorable love songs. We all sang and clapped, residents and staff together. Alan said “I love the music and I just like to sing along” whilst Margaret said “he’s a very talented singer and I hope he comes back.”
Did you know that you can help us raise funds simply by recycling your ink cartridges via our membership of the Recycle4Charity programme? For each inkjet cartridge recycled via the programme we will receive a £1 donation, meaning you can help the environment whilst raising money for our charity.
We have a special recycling bin in our summer house that anyone can use to dispose of their used and unwanted ink cartridges.
Cartridges can take up to 1000 years to decompose so reusing and recycling them means less non-biodegradable components being dumped in landfill sites. Any hazardous and precious materials are recovered, and any cartridge that cannot be recycled or recovered, will be turned into energy.
If you would like to drop your used cartridge into our bin, please go to https://www.recycle4charity.co.uk/InkjetCartridges to double check that your cartridge will be accepted. The bin is on the bookshelf in our summer house and we would be very grateful for your donation!
The Charlotte Straker Project
Charlotte Straker, Cookson Close
Corbridge, NE45 5HB
01434 633999
office@charlottestraker.org.uk
