Children’s bells ring out

HANDBELL ringers as young as 10 staged an ‘a-pealing’ afternoon of songs at a Dorset care home, encouraging residents to join in.

Colten Care’s Bourne View in Poole welcomed a party of six enthusiastic players from St Michael’s Middle School in Colehill, Wimborne. Among the 10 melodies they performed were Ode to Joy, Edelweiss, Bobby Shaftoe and Cockles and Mussels. Each ringer read from their own musical score and wore gloves to avoid their fingers tarnishing the metal.

Companionship Team member

Corinne Wareham said: “Around 20 residents and a few family members gathered to watch the performance in our Sandbanks lounge.

“Before we knew it the residents were all singing along and we were delighted to hear some harmonies coming from the back row.”

The visit came about after Ruth Atkin, a retired teacher from the school, asked Corinne if the residents would like to hear the children play.

Corinne added: “Most of the 10 and 11-year-olds have only been playing for a year or two but they have become quite confident and like to play to an audience.

“Since many of our residents really appreciate live performances and music, I knew this would go down really well.

“This was a lovely interactive experience. The sound of the bells was truly enchanting and the feedback we had from our residents was wonderful.

“There was a really happy, uplifting feel around the home after the school had departed. If only we could bottle that feeling.”

Residents from Richmond Villages Nantwich launched the initiative in 2020 and received cards from all over the world, both from individuals enjoying their vacations and those who lived abroad.

Unfortunately it wasn’t long until the pandemic put a stop to residents receiving these postcards, however, they would like to bring the initiative back for 2023.

Due to many people in the care home no longer being able to enjoy trips away, receiving these postcards from holidaymakers helps them to recall happy memories.

Jane Ann Stubbs,activities manager at Richmond Villages Nantwich, said: “Both our residents and staff loved receiving postcards from around the world in 2020, so we are thrilled to be able to relaunch this initiative again in 2023.

“We all loved hearing about other people’s travels and adventures, and it enabled our residents to recall their previous travel memories and share these with staff and fellow residents. “Collecting these postcards brings so much joy and excitement to the village and we are thoroughly looking forward to receiving them again.”

In 2020 residents received several postcards from local jet-setter Katheryn, who was traveling around Tasmania at the time. She would send a new postcard every time she arrived at a new part of the island so residents could follow her journey.

If you have a holiday planned, whether that be in the UK or abroad, and would like to send the residents of Richmond Villages Nantwich a postcard, their address is Richmond Villages Nantwich, St Joseph’s Way, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 6LZ.