Three of our homes have been putting their very own brewed beer to the taste test
Our residents  and the residents of The Aldbury and Avon Reach visited Poole Hill Brewery to taste beer they had named in a Colten-wide competition.

During the summer, residents from all of our 21 homes were invited to take part in a beer tasting session with beers from the local brewer Southbourne Ales.

The aim to was to collectively choose a great tasting beer that would become ‘The Colten Beer’.

Three beers were sampled and scored for taste and appearance and residents then suggested names go with each one.
Elaine Farrer, Chief Operating Officer for Colten Care said: “We knew our residents loved their beer, but few could predict how many would enjoy this activity and how many brilliant names they would come up with.
“In fact, we had so many great names to choose from, we decided to go with three differently-named beers from three different homes: The ‘Crafty Colten’ chosen by the residents of Avon Reach, Frothy Pop chosen by residents of The Aldbury  and the ominously-named Residents’ Revenge, which was given its moniker by Amberwood House.”

[caption id="attachment_4795" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Pictured: Amberwood House residents Len Fowler and Jim Smith and their Colten Companion Kirsty Richmond-Cole (centre)[/caption]

The beer was brewed by Poole Hill Brewery inn Bournemouth and six representatives from across the three homes were hosted by the owner of the brewery, Jennifer Tingay, for a tour of her premises and a final tasting of their newly-bottled beers, labelled with their winning names.
Abdul ‘Hobi’ Sabih from The Aldbury said: “Our beer tastes great. I have already drunk all mine!”

His fellow resident Frank McCord agreed: “It’s been fascinating to visit the brewery and to learn more about the brewing process.
We are definitely looking forward to drinking more Frothy Pop at The Aldbury.”
Jim Smith, a resident of Amberwood House, said: “I was very interested to learn about the history of beer and brewing. Jennifer is a very good host and of course the tasting of our Residents’ Revenge was a highlight!”

Jennifer said: “It was lovely to host all the Colten residents. We had a quiz and they asked some really good questions about brewing before enjoying a tour and of course their tasting.

“The designs for the three different beer bottles which have been created by Colten’s own designers are wonderful. Some of the best I have seen.
“We are pleased to know the residents from Colten Care can now enjoy their own crafted local beers having played such an enthusiastic part in the process.”

Residents cooed over a menagerie of weird and wonderful animals during a visit from Creature Teachers
We hosted a Bearded Dragon, a snake and even an African Pygmy Hedgehog called Peri Pickles.

Rebecca Osborne, a member of our companionship team at Amberwood House, said: “The visit from Creature Teachers was a huge success.
“Animal specialists Lisa and Jade introduced us firstly to Abraham the bearded dragon and Luna the Albino Corn Snake – Luna apparently eats four mice every two weeks, which he swallows whole.
“I wasn’t sure how many takers there would be to actually touch Luna, but most of our residents gradually felt brave enough and said they were surprised how soft his skin was.”

Resident Mary Whitehouse, said: “I couldn’t see myself holding a snake, but surprised myself today!”

Peri Prickles, the three-year-old African Pygmy hedgehog, was a bit shy to start with, but gradually came out of his tight ball and delighted resident Pat Fisher with his endearingly cute face and twitchy pink nose.

[caption id="attachment_4789" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mary Whitehouse with Echo Barn Owl[/caption]

Perci the rabbit was also hugely popular with most residents who were keen to have a stroke of his soft fur.

Last, but certainly not least, was majestic Barn Owl ‘Echo’. And willing residents were able to wear a special glove and watch as Echo flew towards them and perched on their hand.
Rebecca said: “Wilma smiled and exclaimed: “Heaven” when Echo landed on her hand. It was clearly a priceless special moment she will never forget.”
Two residents are particularly fond of owls – Ray O’Neil and Amy Brown both used to rescue the birds in their younger years – and both were happy to recall some of their memories.

Ray delighted some of his fellow residents by sharing stories from his past role as an RSPCA Inspector.

Resident Judy Brown summed up the visit with: “It was an amazing experience.”