We had a wild start to the month as we undertook the first of many outings to Blair Drummond Safari Park.  The ladies enjoyed an afternoon exploring the park with staff, getting up close to amazing animals in all shapes, sizes and varieties!  The lions may have been  lazing in the sunshine when the ladies drove through the enclosures but the monkeys were up to their usual tricks!  There was so much to see, from elephants and rhinos to sealions and meercats, but we still managed to squeeze in some of the 'Keeper's Talks' and a fantastic falconry display!  What a wonderful, wild time everyone had!

The whole Home took part in our Royal Celebrations to mark the Queen's 70th Jubilee with every resident receiving a personalised invitation to this special weekend.  We revisited the last 70 years in song as the superb singer Shayron Bell brought us 'Music through the Decades' giving everyone an opportunity to sing along to some of their favourite tunes. 

It was important that residents had an opportunity to watch the live coverage of this once-in-a-lifetime event on television, whether that be as part of a group watching on the wide screen tv in the cafe, with their friends on the smart-tv within their flat or individually within their own rooms.  The coverage certainly provided a talking point for many of the residents.  As the ceremonies were drawing to a close, we held our own street party picnic which spilled out into the courtyard garden.  The catering staff did us proud with a sumptuous spread which was complemented by fresh home baking made that morning by some of the residents - delicious!

We went subterranean this moth as as residents took to the water on an exciting Seagull Trust Boat Tour which navigated through the mile long tunnel on the Union Canal in Falkirk.  The crew kept us captivated with their historical knowledge of the area and pointed out the original tool marks made on the ceiling of the tunnel by the men who built it back in 1822! Now that's a feat worth toasting with a good cup of tea.

History was made at William Simpsons this month as Music Club residents took part int their very first 'Make Music Day' event! We played, sung and jammed our way through our inhouse, hour long performance.  Whilst we may not have quite reached our peak performance level yet, we certainly had some fun, raised some smiles and enjoyed a great afternoon of losing ourselves in music!

In amongst all of this, there were still lots of other activities taking place, including the Wimbledon Fortnight!  Every day there is something different on offer to residents, whether it's a large scale inhouse event, a small group outing or a choice of individual activities taking place on a one-to-one basis. Staff take their lead from residents, basing the content of activities around residents' interests, life experiences and hobbies which helps to ensure the activities we provide are meaningful and person-centered.  We also take care to ensure the activities provided benefit the residents' health in some way, whether this is encouraging manual dexterity through art and craft, promoting physical health with movement, dance and sport or involving residents in cognitive and memory enhancing activities such as quizzes, book club meetings and life story sessions.  

We are always looking for fresh new ideas and we would welcome your input. You can speak to staff in person or you can email your suggestions to [email protected]. However you get in touch, we would love to hear from you.