Springhill Care Home has introduced its own interactive reading group for our resident bookworms.

Our health and wellbeing lead, Victoria Huntriss, a shared reading facilitator trained by The Reader organisation, is leading the group.

It will help residents gather together to sit back and listen to the reader, pausing at points to explore immediate thoughts and responses to the story.

This type of group has been shown to improve literacy, concentration, memory and general wellbeing, and is a great opportunity to spend time with others and take time out in a relaxing environment.

In this recent session we listened to ‘Through the Tunnel’ by Doris Lessing, a poignant and descriptive piece, about a boy making progress to adulthood.

The story got the thumbs up from participants, and we’re already looking forward to the next session due to take place on March 16 at 2pm in the Oakhill Lounge.

Springhill Care staff from across the group have been praised after a team attended the national finals of the Great British Care Awards.

The awards are held each year to celebrate the achievements of the sector and pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their fields of work in social care.

Winners are chosen for 21 categories from the thousands of entries received each year. Springhill was shortlisted in four categories:

• Springhill Care Group: The Care Employer Award
• Donna Greenhalgh of Springhill Care Home: The Dementia Carer Award
• Shannon Sheppard of Riversway Nursing Home: The Dignity in Care Award
• Victoria Fosuah of Riversway Nursing Home: The Dementia Carer Award

Winners from regional finals held previously went on to make up the national shortlist. In the end, Springhill was unsuccessful on the night, but Donna Briggs, Managing Director of the care group, said it was great to be selected as national finalists.

She said: “We all had a fantastic evening and to be chosen by our peers as among the very best in the country is a great honour.

“Everything we do is focused on our residents, and our staff work tirelessly within their teams and the wider community to live and breath our values. This really is a sign that we are leading the way in quality, person-centred care.”

More than 1,000 guests were entertained by X Factor and Hollyoaks star Ray Quinn, with TV personality Alison Hammond presenting the awards followed by an evening of music and entertainment.

Donna added: “We had an excellent table located right at the front of the stage which was handy for all the dancing we did.

“Thank you to everybody at Springhill Care Group who supports each other on a daily basis and well done to the finalists who are leading the way for Springhill, you are all #CaringHeores”

The awards were held at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.

To view more photos of the evening on Springhill Care Group's Facebook page click HERE

Springhill Care Home recently took a trip down memory lane as we loaned a memory box from the library and used it at our monthly Memory Café.

This month we partnered up with the Lancashire Heritage Team and loaned the memories in the box containing genuine historical artefacts.

Our monthly cafes are for our residents, relatives, friends and staff team to come together in a welcoming place…and this month our theme was ‘Going Out’ bringing back memories for the ladies with a vintage hair dryer.

We enjoyed  looking at the different items including a soda stream, vinyl records, newspaper clippings, vintage rouge and perfume in pretty bottles.

We all remembered the scents from when we were younger and shared our stories with each other.

Tea and cakes were served as we listened to 50s and 60s music followed by a sing song and a little dance.

It was a great day and we are looking forward to the different memories that will be brought when we collect the next box.

A hearty full English breakfast was on the menu this morning for the residents at Springhill Care Home at the new up and running breakfast club.

Bacon, eggs, sausage and tomatoes sent wonderful smells throughout the corridors bringing inquisitive residents from their rooms wanting an early morning taste and the aromas certainly succeeded in getting their appetites going.

It was a lovely relaxed morning with the radio on in the background, all eating breakfast together and chatting whilst looking outside seeing the sunshine, what a perfect start to the day!