Residents at Nether Poppleton based care home, Ebor Court, took to the garden to join in with Cornwall’s Eden Projects ‘Big Lunch’ event which celebrates the coming together of communities across the UK.
The Big Lunch, which sets out to connect people around local communities to create a positive place to live, was a great opportunity for the Ebor Court family to enjoy a delicious lunch and learn more about one another. Lifestyle Manager, Susie Carman, created topical prompts as conversation starters between residents with the aim of learning fun facts and common interests.
With glorious weather on side, residents enjoyed a picnic-style party with savoury charcuterie boards an abundance of sweet treats including sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel ice cream, homemade cream buns, French pastries and even a chocolate fondue with fresh strawberry skewers on offer.
During the big lunch residents, Elizabeth Cracknell, 86, created a new friendship with fellow resident Joan Walker, 89. The pair instantly bonded over their passion for music, as Joan plays the cello and Elizabeth is a professional pianist. The pair found they had so much to talk about, and since the big lunch, Elizabeth has played Ebor Court’s piano in the living room every day for Joan and the other residents to enjoy.
Elizabeth, said, ‘Our afternoon in the garden was lovely, the food was incredible, and it was brilliant to have met Joan and talk about our shared love of music. We both love the same genres and it brought me huge joy to play some of my favourite songs for Joan, we had a lovely sing along! Id love to hear her play the cello too! – It just goes to show you can make friends at any age, and I really feel like I have a new friend for life’.
Head Chef at Ebor Court, Ian Munro, who was behind the delicious menu, said, ‘It was my pleasure to put together our ‘Big Lunch’ picnic. I personally think there is nothing better than spending time with good friends, both old and new, over good food. When creating the menu, I ensured to take requests from the residents to ensure everyone had something they loved to eat’.
Susie said, ‘Every year we love to support the Eden Project and host a ‘Big Lunch’ and invite the local community into our home. This year, we wanted it to be no exception but focused our attention on our very own internal community. It was lovely to see all of the residents making new friends and finding common interests, I can’t wait to watch these new friendships flourish as we host more activities and events throughout the summer!’.
Ebor Court, operated by Ideal Carehomes, is a residential and dementia care home boasting a hair salon, café and cinema as well as the brand new Sky Bar. For more information, contact Shane on 01904 782 708.