Residents awarded prize in local art competition

RESIDENTS at a Bristol care home have been highly commended in an art competition.

Residents at Care UK’s Trymview Hall put their artistic skills to good use, and entered The Brain Art Competition run by Royal West of England Academy and the University of Bristol.

Focussing on the theme of ‘connections’, residents worked together to create wax rubbings of a selection of foraged natural materials, including leaves and seed heads, arranged in the shape of a brain.

Residents were thrilled to find out they were highly commended in the community groups category.

To celebrate their success, residents Jean Gazzard, aged 92, and Maureen Bailey, aged 87, attended a prizegiving ceremony at the RWA where they were able to see their work on display, as well as receive a certificate commending the home’s efforts.

Maureen said: “I love the art we created – we had a lot of fun and worked really well together.

“It was wonderful to have it recognised like this and displayed at the gallery.”

As part of an ongoing initiative between the home and RWA, residents also attend dementiafriendly gallery viewings and tours of new exhibitions, as well as having the opportunity to participate in art projects, often led by an in-house artist.

Nicola Wolff-Donitz, customer relations manager at Trymview Hall, added: “Residents were thrilled when they found out their artwork had been highly commended in The Brain Art Competition and were incredibly excited to see their hard work on display.

“Many of the residents here love art – and it’s a great way to support wellbeing and independence, as well as being a lot of fun.

“It was great to listen the residents share stories of nature from their own lives – fond memories of days spent in the garden and woodland walks –as well as learn some interesting facts.

“I’d like to say a huge congratulations to everyone for their hard work on this project, and extend a big thanks to RWA for such a fun opportunity – we’re already looking forward to entering again next year.”

A West Sussex care home resident celebrated her 102nd birthday with family and friends. Ellen Bolger was joined by residents and staff at Deerswood Lodge in Crawley for the celebration. Born in County Wexford in Ireland, Ellen was the only girl of a family of five. Ellen met Patrick, her husband, in Dublin in 1942 when he was a chef in the army. They married and went on to have seven children –four boys and three girls. They moved to England in 1967 and both started working in a reformed school for boys in West Grinstead – Patrick as a chef and Ellen doing domestic work. She then went on to study to become a residential social worker, a job that she loved. Then, in 1978, the pair returned to Ireland for a couple of years before Patrick passed away and Ellen returned to England to live with her daughter in Horsham. Ellen has 23 grandchildren, 44 great grandchildren and four greatgreat grandchildren.