The Fatman and the Tenor brought Old Time Music Hall fun back to the county recently with a special performance for more than 200 Oxfordshire care home residents and staff.
A 1920s themed day was organised by The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), the UK’s second largest not-for-profit care home provider, at The Kings Centre in Osney Mead, for residents and staff at their 18 homes in Oxfordshire.
The highlight of the day was an appearance by the Fatman and the Tenor, Paul Kaye-Jones and Mike Jerome, who have performed at the Royal Variety show and the London Palladium.
Residents and staff sang along and toe-tapped to the Wantage Male Voice Choir and the ‘Cascade of Strings’. The afternoon ended with fish and chips in the specially decorated hall.
As part of the celebrations, the annual county gardening and housekeeping awards were given out to homes across the county to celebrate the work that green-fingered and house-proud residents and staff have been doing over the past year. Categories included the most unusual flower-bed container, won by Glebe House’s ‘Bed and Slippers’ and the judge’s Special Award was given to Alf Keen (92), a resident at St Edburg’s, for his enthusiasm and dedication towards his vegetable garden.
Area Operations Manager, Gary Warren worked closely with Activity co-ordinators Jeff Denton and Sharon Wheeler to organise the event. Gary said: “Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves today. This is the biggest annual event that the Trust organises for our Oxfordshire homes and day centres and it’s a great opportunity for staff, residents and volunteers to get together, make new friends and have fun.
“It’s something that the residents really look forward to and they have enjoyed making costumes to wear on the day. Our staff and volunteers have really embraced the good old days by dressing up in authentic 1920’s outfits and dancing and singing-along with the residents.”
“I had such a lovely day, I didn’t want it to end,” said Eleanor Clifford, resident at Marsdon Court in Oxford. “I met lots of new people today and I especially liked listening to the Wantage Choir. They played some fantastic songs, and many of them I knew all the words to, so I could sing along. I even managed to dance a little bit.”
-ENDS-
Issued on behalf of The Orders of St John Care Trust by Lava. For further information contact Louise or Becky at Lava on 01522 842 800 / louise@lavapr.co.uk <mailto:louise@lavapr.co.uk> or becky@lavapr.co.uk <mailto:becky@lavapr.co.uk>
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Notes for Editors
The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) was established in 1991. It is a not for profit charity sponsored by the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Venerable Order of St John. These two historic Orders have a long tradition of offering care and service and today provide the Trustees for OSJCT.
OSJCT’s core activity is providing care for older people of any background, irrespective of race or religion. Having started in Lincolnshire, running 16 former local authority care homes, the Trust now operates 74 homes, across four counties (16 in Lincolnshire, 20 in Wiltshire, 17 in Oxfordshire and 21 in Gloucestershire) and cares for some 3,250 residents.
The Trust is dedicated to delivering the highest quality, person centered care. Our broad range of services includes residential, nursing and dementia care. We also provide intermediate, respite and day care. Our ethos of care, which underpins all our activities, is based on our belief that all older people living in our care homes, should be given care, both material and spiritual, that suits their individual needs. We also believe that our residents and day care visitors should enjoy life in an atmosphere of warmth, harmony and understanding, being cared for by people who appreciate their need for privacy and who will respect their dignity and freedom of choice.
To that end, OSJCT is currently involved in an extensive development programme, working in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that our residents and staff can live and work in a modern environment and can benefit from the latest care aids, equipment and technology. We are also committed to providing the best possible training opportunities for our staff in terms of their career progression and personal development.
www.osjct.co.uk <http://www.osjct.co.uk>
