Out and about
Thank you to the lovely chaps and Carol at Dial-a-Ride for making our lovely visits to Hereford possible. Most recently it was a trip to the Butter Market. Wonderful to visit our favourite stalls and shops, pick up some cheeses, quiche and pork pies, bump into old friends and make some new ones along the way.
Two of our lovely ladies also joined Kate and LAW for a little shopping adventure to Dunelm, Hobbycraft and B&M. We headed out to find some inspiration for Halloween and another little project we have planned. After our shopping spree, we took some time to relax, chat and enjoy a lovely coffee and a delicious slice of cake at Pausa Café. A big thank you to Rank Taxis for getting us there and back safely and helping make our day out possible.
A song and dance
We have enjoyed lots of musical entertainment.
The wonderful Mansel came along to sing for us, getting everyone in the party mood. We were celebrating Pat's 95th birthday and there was chair boogying, lots of laughter, and a few of our residents even graced the dance floor! Pat loved the fantastic cake made by our outstanding Miha, alongside our wonderful cook Sarah. And there was party food galore! Mansel was back again early October for another party - this time celebrating one of our amazing Care Team, Mollie's 21st birthday!
We’ve been so lucky to welcome Di the Harpist, who came in to soothe us with the beautiful sounds of her harp. Then we had Tracey from Musicare getting us all up, dancing or dancing in our chairs!
Chef training
As part of our continual staff training the head chefs across our Heritage group came together for a fantastic day of training with Andy Cullum, better known as “The IDDSI Guy”. https://www.theiddsiguy.com/
The IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative) framework is a standardized global system that uses an 8-level continuum (0 to 7) to classify food textures and drink thicknesses for people with swallowing difficulties.
It is important for our chefs to ensure that the food they prepare meets the specific IDDDSI level for each resident, whilst keeping its flavour and appeal.
The session focused on gentler methods of cooking such as poaching, braising, stewing and steaming; all of which keep food tender and moist and enhance its flavour. The team discussed adapting recipes and shared ideas. Andy set up a discussion group so going forwards he could offer help and support and the team could share their recipe successes.
We are encouraging the team to share photos of any modified meals they serve to residents. A well-presented plate can make a real difference to how much someone enjoys their meal and how much they eat. Sharing photos is also a great way to celebrate skills, inspire each other and swap ideas across our homes.
A big thank you to Andy for such an engaging and practical day, to our Training Manager Charlie Bitchenor for organising the event and to all our head chefs for their enthusiasm and commitment to giving every resident a mealtime they can look forward to.
Celebrations and send offs
We marked World Gratitude Day at Newstead as we wanted to say a little thank you to every single person who makes Newstead the happy home it is. Our team were treated to a sweet treat and a can of pop, with healthy options too... apples, tangerines and bottled water. And of course, we didn't forget our amazing night team as a little treat bowl was left in a safe place as a small thank you for everything they do. We also gave our residents little affirmations to thank them for being the wonderful people who bring so much joy, laughter and life to our home.
Ali’s retirement party took us right back to the 1920s, and our wonderful friends, The Gadzukes, certainly looked the part and had everyone up and dancing! It was a very bittersweet goodbye to Ali. Thank you, Ali, for all the dedication, kindness and love you have given to Newstead House. We wish you many happy years ahead — may they be truly golden!
A very big thank you to the whole team for pulling together and giving Ali such a wonderful send-off. It really was a team effort. Our residents got involved too, making all the fabulous headgear and helping with some of the food. A special thank you to Blobias, Jinju and Belinda, who cooked some delicious traditional Indian and Filipino dishes. Our MD, Simon, popped in to say farewell and got a little taster of our Christmas choir, even joining Ali in singing one of the songs we’ve written for our upcoming Christmas concert
We were joined by the lovely Grace Still, a photography student at Hereford College of Arts. Grace works with both film and digital photography. Grace kindly shared the photographs with us, so here’s a little glimpse of what she captured. There are more to come, but some will have to stay a surprise for a later date!
Coming up
We’re excited to let you know that we’ll be having a pop-up shop on 15th October, giving our residents the chance to browse and purchase items from the shop, all from the comfort of their chairs!
Never too early to mention Christmas! Just a few things in the pipeline...Choir practice is underway, where we have been busy writing a few of our own festive jingles.
Also, our 2027 Calendar has been sent to the printers. This year, it is more of a recipe diary and we are sharing some of our favourite recipes. We will let you know when it arrives and is available to purchase.