Amarna House Celebrates Those Who Make a Difference!

Our team at Amarna House Care Home in York recently hosted a ‘Make a Difference’ day and invited Avery Ambassador, stage and TV actress Sherrie Hewson to the event. The residents and staff wanted to celebrate the work of the volunteers, district nurses and Friends of Amarna House as they all contribute to improving the wellbeing of our residents.

We held a multitude of activities and events around the home:

Steve Redman and David Palmer (Chair of Friends of Amarna House and Chaplain) hosted a cheese and wine tasting session. Sherrie particularly enjoyed meeting resident Dot, who was very happy to offer her feedback on the red wines available. Sherrie led everyone in a toast, cheers!

Manor House School students helped residents from our Autumn unit to pamper our amazing District Nurses who enjoyed foot spas, face masks and manicures as well as giving our Home Manager, Linda Donnellan-Beevers a special head massage! The residents then served the pupils afternoon tea to thank them for all their hard work and companionship. The culinary team provided a wealth of dainty sandwiches and sweet treats, and everyone’s plates were empty!

Other residents presented the younger pupils from Acomb Primary School with ‘Life Advice Books’. These books were handmade by our residents and contained quotes on how to enhance their lives. Favourite advice included, ‘always hold your mum’s hand when crossing the road’, ‘always make sure you are wearing clean pants’ and ‘always be kind to animals’. One pupil was very excited to recognise Sherrie from the telly.

Evergreen unit’s residents enjoyed a fantastic performance from our local Ukulele Band which played a myriad of songs, for example, ‘Down by the Riverside’. Sherrie enjoyed singing along with the residents.

Folk singer Corrie Shelley played for the residents of the Laurel unit and its volunteers. The residents also enjoyed afternoon tea served by the staff who had come in on their day off to make a difference. Sherrie had some big fans up on the Laurel Unit, Doreen was overwhelmed she had got to see her favourite actress and Rita enjoyed talking to Sherrie about her life and her recent move to Amarna House Care Home.

Sherrie ended the event by officially unveiling the new water feature at the home. This water feature was donated by resident’s families and is a new addition to our stunning quiet garden cultivated by the Friends of Amarna House and Attend Volunteers. Sherrie gave an uplifting speech which highlighted the excellent work of Avery Healthcare and in particular our fantastic staff before cutting the ribbon.

Home Manager Linda commented: “I would like to thank everyone who came along to our ‘Make a Difference’ day including Stuart the photographer who captured the day, our Well-being team for making the event a great success, to our staff who came in on their days off and gave up their free time and all the staff on duty who helped the residents enjoy themselves. A massive thank you to Attend and Friends of Amarna House and all the volunteers who support our home. The day was a great success.”