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Talented Judith has Abbey View team down to a fine art

A talented creative artist who lives at Abbey View has staged a remarkable exhibition after sketching pencil portraits of its entire roll of 73 staff members.
Resident Judith Forster spent six months on the project at Abbey View in Sherborne.

The idea of sketching each one of her carers, companions, clinical team, chefs, waiting staff, domestic assistants and others came about in February this year.

Companionship Team Leader Bev de Bruyn said: “One of our team was talking with Judith. They were in close proximity and Judith immediately thought ‘what a beautiful smile, I should make a picture of that’. And so, an idea was born.

“She invited the first few team members to come to her room and have sketches done and people loved it. Soon, everyone was happy to sit for her.

“For the next six months, Judith could be seen in her room all hours of the day and evening sketching away to her heart’s content.

“She is an avid artist with an amazing talent and a love of art. As a ‘people person’ she has built lovely relationships with the staff she interacts with and staging the exhibition has come out of those bonds.”

On the opening day of the exhibition, Abbey View residents were told they were in for a treat and invited to make their way to the lounge where the 73 portraits had been mounted on large panels around the walls.

Bev said: “As they took in the sketches in front of them, residents and staff alike had great fun identifying each subject by name.

“Visiting friends and family, including two of Judith’s grandchildren, Herbie and Gracie, joined us and the room was buzzing with chatter.

“It was a fabulous occasion. Judith thoroughly enjoyed delighting everyone with her art. The exhibition was an amazing accomplishment.”

Fellow residents were full of praise. As he viewed the artworks, Roy Carne said: “This is incredible!”

Bev’s Companionship Team colleague Sara Foster explained that Judith’s passion for art started when she lived in Japan between 1984 and 1990.

Sara said: “She started lessons there and progressed through various mediums of art. She particularly loved doing miniature portraits.

“In the past six months, she prepared her Abbey View exhibition while at the same time attending our weekly arts club with fellow residents.

“Her love of art is so evident. She adds tremendous value to the club and even introduced an instruction book ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ for fellow members.”

Commenting on her mammoth sketching project and exhibition at Abbey View, Judith said: “I so enjoyed doing this. It enabled me to get to know each individual staff member in a very different way. It made me really happy to undertake this work”

Outside Abbey View, Judith has enrolled at an art studio in Sherborne where she creates and shows pieces. She also participates in a weekly online art course.

Reflecting on the success of the exhibition, Companion Sara said: “Our Judith is an amazing lady, and we do wonder what her next project will be at Abbey View. Watch this space!”

Golden shot for Colten Care residents raising a cuppa for Macmillan

Colten Care homes have hosted a series of Macmillan Coffee Mornings with an added Willy Wonka-style twist.
Residents, staff and visitors raising a mug at the annual charity get togethers were served freshly prepared homemade cakes and pastries in the traditional way.

But at each of Colten Care’s 21 homes, chefs baked one of the tasty treats as a ‘Golden Cup Cake’, containing a hidden layer of edible gold leaf through the middle only to be revealed when the cake was bitten into.

The lucky recipient won a bottle of bubbly, chocolates and a donation to Macmillan on their behalf.
“I couldn’t quite believe it was the golden one,” said a smiling Pamela Kately, the winner at Canford Chase in Poole.
More than 100 cup cakes were baked by Chef Izzy Turczyn-Kuzma at The Aldbury in Poole, with housekeeping colleague Michael Sheppard receiving the golden prize.

And at Brook View in West Moors, the cup cake winner was visitor Hannah Kirby who had only just arrived to visit her grandfather Harry.

Moments after making her coffee morning donation along with partner Leigh, Hannah bit into the cake and saw the gold, prompting cheers all round.

Hannah, who was then presented with her bottle of bubbly, said: “I didn’t realise what it was at first and wondered what I had found in the middle. It was a lovely surprise.”

As well as the Golden Cup Cake search, this year’s coffee mornings at Colten Care featured plenty of conversation and other fun. There were mufti days for staff, guess-the-weight-of-the-cake games, cake sales, singalongs and dances.

At The Aldbury, two musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, violinist Jennifer Curiel and pianist and French horn player Kevin Pritchard, performed popular classical pieces and childhood songs such as Run Rabbit Run. Among the residents singing and dancing along were Mary Cooper, Elizabeth Kay and Win Clowerly.

Fellow resident at The Aldbury, Abdu ‘Hobi’ Sabih, did his bit to collect donations. He helped Companion Melissa Siat Caparros to push the fundraising cake trolley around the home, chatting with residents, staff and visitors.
Elaine Farrer, Colten Care’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We always support the Macmillan Coffee Morning with all 21 of our homes taking part. It’s a fantastic community initiative. We invite families, friends and local contacts to come and join us for a coffee social and enjoy the fun. The prospect of winning a golden cupcake adds even more interest.”
The first Macmillan Coffee Morning took place in 1990 with the simple idea of encouraging people to donate the cost of their cuppa to Macmillan Cancer Support to help the charity’s work for people with cancer. Since then, more than £300 million has been raised.

According to Macmillan, one in two of us will face cancer. The charity’s aim is to help everyone with cancer to live life as fully as they can.

For more information and to donate, visit www.macmillan.org.uk.

Colten Care residents honour ‘superstar’ carers with Champions awards

Hundreds of residents from our 21 care homes have honoured the staff who enable them to live the best lives they can every day.
Colten Care’s Champions awards prompted nominations across nine categories reflecting a range of clinical and non-clinical care.

Individuals, teams, homes and departments were all recognised as the annual scheme culminated in a glittering evening at Bournemouth’s Highcliff Marriott Hotel.

Around 140 guests dressed up in style for the awards ceremony and celebration, hosted by TV presenter Dr Hilary Jones.

Nominees and audience members mingled at a welcome reception before stepping into a specially decorated ballroom for dinner, the ceremony itself and the opportunity to dance the night away.

[caption id="attachment_13325" align="alignnone" width="1314"] AWARD. Lucy O’Brien, Senior Administrator at Bourne View in Poole, won the Warm Welcome award. With her is Dr Hilary Jones, who hosted the Colten Champions evening, and Elaine Sheppard, Head of Customer Support.[/caption]

Colten Care residents were represented by special guest Jean Smith, who lives in Poole home Bourne View.

She had previously met Dr Hilary at the home’s official opening in spring 2019 when her late husband, former Poole Mayor Ray Smith MBE, became the first resident to move in.

Catching up with the broadcaster and author once again as they stood on stage, Jean said: “I can’t believe I’m here.”

She then presented Rosa Santos, Senior Care Lead at Newstone House in Sturminster Newton, with the inaugural award for Resident and Relative Choice.

This category, which attracted more than 500 nominations from residents and families, was designed to recognise an individual or team ‘who have truly made a difference to your life or your loved one’s life since coming to Colten Care’.

The common theme for Rosa’s multiple nominations was her ‘kind and welcoming approach to both residents and relatives. Rosa has patience to understand residents needs so well which has such a positive outcome for their care’.
One relative wrote: “It is always a please to see Rosa on duty, she cared for my mother and father with such cheerfulness, she would make sure my father was helped upstairs to spend time with my mother when they were on different floors. She works hard to ensure our family are kept informed, added to this her professionalism and positive attitude.”
Among other category winners, Lucy O’Brien, Senior Administrator at Bourne View, who won the Warm Welcome award, described the moment her name was read out.

She said: “It was amazing, a total surprise. I was in a complete daze and then got quite emotional. It was lovely to go up and receive the award in front of everyone and meet Hilary Jones.”

[caption id="attachment_13326" align="alignnone" width="1262"] Colten Care resident Jean Smith, right, was Honorary Guest at the Colten Champions awards. She presented the inaugural Resident and Relative Choice award to Rosa Santos, Senior Care Lead at Newstone House in Sturminster Newton. With them is awards host and TV presenter Dr Hilary Jones.[/caption]
Colten Care Chief Executive Mark Aitchison said: “Colten Champions celebrates the pride and passion our amazing team shows every single day, caring for our residents and their families.

“It is an immense privilege to lead a team full of superstars, always prepared to go above and beyond.

“We thank everyone who put in a Colten Champions nomination and congratulate all the winners, finalists and nominees.”
Mark’s comments were echoed by Colten Care’s Chief Operating Officer Elaine Farrer, who added: “There are so many shining examples of our team supporting and caring for residents, embodying our values and consistently putting the resident at the very heart of all they do.”

After the ceremony, Dr Hilary said: “Colten Champions truly reflects the importance of quality care delivered by a team working together for the benefit of residents. It’s a great initiative and the awards evening is always such a happy occasion.”

As well as the Champions awards themselves, special congratulations were given on stage to Elena Barna, Home Manager at Abbey View in Sherborne, for the home’s recent Outstanding rating from sector regulator the Care Quality Commission.

It means that seven of Colten Care’s 21 homes in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and West Sussex are officially rated Outstanding, with all the rest rated Good.

100th birthday celebration is Jean’s cup of tea  

A tea-tasting afternoon proved the perfect way for a former seamstress to celebrate her 100th birthday at Abbey View
Jean Picton-Turberville reached her centenary having lived for several years at our care home in Sherborne.

Known as an enthusiast for a great cup of tea, a smiling Jean watched as the home’s best bone china cups and saucers were brought out for her birthday party.

Her tea connection goes back to just after the Second World War when she lived in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, with her husband, a manager in the tea industry.

Abbey View staff arranged a tea-tasting experience for Jean and party guests. After sampling the various offerings, Jean naturally chose Ceylon as her personal favourite above others including Darjeeling and Earl Grey.
Sara Foster of the Companionship Team at our home said: “Jean’s children were born in Ceylon, before it became Sri Lanka, and she remains very proud of her connection with the country and the tea trade. Her favourite saying is ‘What’s better than a cup of tea? Answer: another cup of tea!’.
In her working life, Jean was a seamstress for the London clothing brand The White House in the 1950s.

Among her duties was making baby and toddler dresses for wealthy and titled families with many items produced for overseas orders.

The firm, located in Bond Street in Jean’s time, later moved to Surrey and stopped producing clothes many years ago. It now produces luxurious interior accessories for important buildings and the yachts and planes of Royal families in the Middle East.

Jean’s link with the firm was rekindled last year when, thanks to some behind-the-scenes work by Sara, contact was made with current managing director John Delliere.

He sent Jean a surprise birthday greeting including a bouquet of flowers and a personal letter of congratulations.
“I was so surprised to hear from The White House,” said Jean. “It was long ago but I still have happy memories of my time there.”
Sara added: “It was a joy and privilege to help Jean celebrate her 100th birthday. She was thrilled to receive her card from the King and was inundated with flowers and cards from family and friends.

“Her family also has a connection with Andrew Lloyd-Webber so as well as the tea tasting and birthday cake, we all enjoyed listening to some of his music.”

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