Wadswick Green: Overcoming Lockdown
When this year started we envisioned 2020 to be rather different…
At Rangeford Villages we had lots of exciting plans for the spring and summer months which we had to postponed in light of the stay at home and isolation requirements.
Instead we adapted every way possible, especially our village team at Wadswick Green, to ensure our residents were protected, prepared, kept active and engaged.
Whilst our usual facilities and leisure activities are restricted at this time, we evolved with new ones to be embraced.
A pop-up village shop was created so we could ensure our residents had access to supplies (and treats), reducing the need for them to leave the safe environment of the village. As well as general necessities a selection of potted plants, herbs and vegetables to grow were available and even different homemade breads to enjoy, courtesy of the onsite Coffee shop and Restaurant, The Greenhouse.
To help keep the residents active we introduced weekly Courtyard/Corridor Zumba, as an alternative to the way our classes usually run. Residents were invited to the courtyard and their balconies to take part, with the instructor traveling around the village giving a series of classes so everyone could take part. Qi-gong live stream classes via zoom were made available twice a week and links to Aerobics classes on YouTube were shared.
Activities such as quizzes, puzzles and brainteasers were distributed and craft packs made available at reception. We set up a ‘View from Your Balcony’ Photograph Competition, at this time in its third month, with each round running a different theme.
Staff played an important part in keeping morale high, a member of our concierge team even wrote a series of poems about current life at Wadswick Green.
We tried to make Easter weekend a little brighter with a surprise visit from our very own Easter Bunny, delivering Cadbury Crème Eggs to every resident! One of our Rowan Lane Resident’ Angie penned and shared a poem on the experience: “There was a young man called Zak, Who had a fluffy tail on his back, he was the Easter Bunny for sure ‘cause he left crème eggs at our door”
VE Day fell into the lockdown period and not wanting it to go uncelebrated, we decorated the Village terrace with Union Jack flags and bunting to mark the occasion. Each resident received an afternoon cream tea. Scones were made fresh by The Greenhouse Head Chef and were accompanied with traditional clotted cream and jam and even tea. Clare, a Wadswick Green resident, commented: “What a lovely surprise on Friday to receive the cream teas for VE Day celebrations. Thank you very much for your kind thought and also to your amazing team who made it happen – as they are making so much happen currently to keep us all safe and happy. We are so fortunate to have chosen Wadswick Green as our home, and particularly under the current circumstances we are aware how wise that choice was”
A big part of Wadswick Green is the community spirit and the way this has continued to thrive is one of our favourite things about how the village handled the lockdown; at 11am each day our residents headed to their balconies or windows and give their neighbours a friendly wave and greeting to let them know they were ok!
For more information on Wadswick Green retirement village visit www.rangefordvillages.co.uk or call our team on 0800 135 7420.
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