BelongLifeSUMMER 2014

In this issue... Renowned UK performance poet, Tony Walsh, gives voice to those who live and work in Belong villages.

We are Belong villagers

May Graham celebrates 106th birthday at Belong Crewe! Page 2-3

Digital wedding bells chime at Belong Wigan Page10

Belong’s pilgrimage to world’s biggest pear drop Page 11

Plus... • A customer’s view

• Memory lane

• A day in the life of…

Belong Life Summer 2014

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Word from the team...

Belong welcomes contributions from our readers, please contact tracy.brookes@belong.org.uk

We’ve finally entered summer, and the excitement builds for the opening of our brand new Belong village in Warrington.

As General Manager Janine Curwell puts the finishing touches to the village (see page 9), intense induction and training programmes are underway for new members of staff.

We had a great response to the adverts for vacancies, and we’re already beginning to identify people with the potential to develop into senior roles as Belong Warrington grows. By building on the existing qualifications and enthusiasm of the people that we recruit, we ensure that everybody working at Belong Warrington is equipped with the skills necessary to develop a vibrant, inclusive community, as well as creating a supportive and calming environment for people experiencing dementia.

Drawing on over 20 years of experience providing care and support for older people, my priority will be sharing this knowledge with the nursing and support worker teams at Belong Warrington, ensuring that all our customers can feel at home in our community, whatever their needs and choices are.

We’re all going to spend some time in the village ahead of the opening, getting to know one another and bonding as a team before the doors open. Everybody that visits Belong plays a part in our success; customers, friends and family alike, and we’re really looking forward to meeting everyone who moves into our fabulous new village.

Outstanding levels of care are integral to the Belong ethos, but we also want to offer choice and independence to customers, with a range or activities to suit the individual interests of everybody in Belong Warrington.

Phil Caine Support Manager, Belong Warrington

May Graham keeping fit...

One of Crewe’s oldest residents, May Graham, is keeping active at her home in Belong Crewe, on Brookhouse Drive, where she attends Oomph! Wellness classes twice a week.

May loves to socialise, and is a keen player of dominoes with friends in Belong Crewe. In the past year, she has taken up flower arranging, creating beautiful displays to brighten up her apartment, as well as joining Oomph! These fitness classes improve mobility, social interaction and mental stimulation through chair-based exercises, such as chair cheerleading and chair aerobics.

May recently celebrated her 106th birthday with a party at Belong Crewe. Her daughter, Joan, and other

members of family and friends, attended, along with staff from the village, where May toasted the occasion with champagne and opened her letter from the Queen.

Born in Haslington in 1908, May married at Haslington Church in 1929, and went on to have two children. May’s extended family now lives around the world, as far away as Australia and America. Belong Crewe has been May’s home since 2010, when she moved into an apartment.

Melanie Saywell, General Manager at Belong Crewe, said: “We were so proud to help May celebrate another landmark birthday at Belong Crewe. The party was a very special one, and we hope that she will enjoy many more in the village.”

May is pictured here with her 6th telegram from the Queen!

Pictured: May (front centre) is joined by her family

as she blows out the candles on her birthday

cake. On her left is daughter, Joan, on her right,

granddaughter, Pat, and Pat’s husband, Tony

(back right) and May’s niece, Janet (back left).

Pictured: May raises a glass with daughter, Joan.

Pictured, left to right: daughter, Joan, May, granddaughter, Pat and May’s great-grandson, Jack talks to them via FaceTime.

...at years old 106

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A Customer’s View

Home at Belong....

Always a very sociable person, Sandra Hudson lived alone near to the site of the Belong village in Platt Bridge, Wigan. She told us: “I felt like I wasn’t seeing my neighbours very much, I just sat in the house during the day watching television.” Missing out on the sense of community that she wanted to be a part of, one day Sandra decided to walk up the road and take a look around Belong Wigan. The friendly and welcoming atmosphere offered exactly what she was looking for.

In September 2013 Sandra had her first Experience Day at Belong Wigan, where she made a number of new friends in the form of Belong customers and staff. The next week Sandra started attending Experience Days every Friday morning, using the opportunity to socialise. During her Experience Days, Sandra liked taking part in village quizzes and bingo. An empathic person, Sandra loves to help other people, and found that the communal aspect of Belong brought out the best in her.

When Sandra’s care provider changed at the end of 2013, she started using the Belong at Home service, where members of Belong staff

came to visit her in her own home. Knowing how much Sandra enjoyed spending time in the village, arrangements were quickly made for her to make trips to Belong Wigan as often as possible.

In February 2014 Sandra moved into her own Belong apartment at the village. When she talks about the move, Sandra makes it sound like the easiest decision in the world: “It was great when I moved in. My son-in-laws came down and helped me to decorate the apartment with my things, to really make it feel like home. It’s such a lovely place to stay.”

Sandra has a big extended family that love to come and visit her at Belong Wigan. They never warn her of their plans to visit in advance, but there’s always room to accommodate them in the Bistro, and the children love playing outside in the gardens.

If you would like to contribute to the next ‘A Customer’s View’ column, please pass on your details to a member of staff or email the editor at:

tracy.brookes@belong.org.uk

Belong Life Summer 2014

News from Belong Atherton...

Nothing is more important in a Belong village than our customers, which is why we love hearing about their experiences. For this issue we spoke to Sandra Hudson in Wigan, who first experienced Belong as a customer of our Experience Days and Belong at Home services. In February this year, she made the move to a Belong apartment.

Ron Fuller, 82, rekindled a lifelong love of football when he came out of retirement to coach local Canal Turn FC for a friendly match. Ron used to play for Wembley, before getting his coaching badge at Luton and going on to become a player, coach and manager for Harpenden FC. His trip to coach Canal Turn FC was arranged as part of the Belong at Home service.

In a life filled with sporting achievements, including swimming the English Channel, Ron Fuller’s proudest moment was the time that he trained Harpenden FC by making the whole team accompany him on the London marathon. He also speeded up their reaction times by persuading the team to take up table tennis.

A meeting of minds

Speaking of the recent football match, Ron said: “I want to thank all the players of Canal Turn FC for listening to me the way that they did. It was a brilliant game and it felt great to put my coaching skills to good use again.”

Born in Willesden, London in 1931, Ron was later transferred to Manchester by his employer, BAE Systems.

In Manchester he met his wife, Dorothy, who shares his birthday. They both now live in an apartment at Belong Atherton. Although Ron has recently been diagnosed with dementia, he still lives a very active life, supported by the Belong at Home team.

Football coach comes out of retirement for one last game...

Back on the pitch

Claire Culshaw, Belong at Home Coordinator, said: “As soon as we arrived, Ron was meeting the players to have a kick around and talking team tactics. He gave advice from the sideline and at half time the lads all rallied around to listen to his motivating team talk. They really took onboard what Ron was saying, and it was heartwarming to see the different generations coming together over a game of football.

“Ron has been using the Belong at Home service for over a year now, and it makes a big difference to his quality of life. Our home care services aim to meet the needs of the individual, rather than asking anybody to fit our needs, so where some people might want help with domestic chores or doctors appointments, others prefer to spend the time socialising or going out for leisure purposes.

“Knowing how passionate Ron is about coaching, we were really happy to find an opportunity to get him involved again.”

Pictured: Ron enjoys a team talk with the players.

Ron (4th from the left on the 2nd row) is

pictured with Belong at Home Support Worker,

Robyn Bamber, and Canal Turn FC.

Acclaimed Manchester poet gives voice to Belong residents

Tony Walsh has performed at The British Library, the RSC 50th Anniversary Open Day and wrote and performed the official tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson last year. His new, uplifting poem, which was written after a successful poetry workshop with Belong residents last autumn, avoids the usual stereotypes and jargon associated with life in a care home, giving a realistic portrayal of how the people living and working in Belong feel about themselves.

Speaking of the poem, Tony said: “I was very impressed by an initial meeting with managers from Belong but, as someone with experience of care settings from both a family perspective and as a former council officer, it was important for me to also hear from residents and staff before writing my commissioned poem.

We’re:Mothers and grandmothers

Fathers and grandfathersProviders and survivors and life-long workers

We’re: Free thinkers and decision makers

Opinion holders and independence keepersComers and go-ers and out-and-abouters

We’re:Welcoming greeters and friendly smilers Beautiful designers and leafy landscapers

Home makers and safe keepers

We’re: Bistro goers and fine diners Hair dressers and gym goers

Movie watchers and popcorn crunchers

We’re:Tea guzzlers and coffee drinkers

Biscuit dunkers and… occasional tipplersLocal integrators, we welcome visitors

We’re: Lifestyle choosers and self preserversPick and mixers and dip in-and-outersGood neighbours. But not-the-samers

So we’re:Goggleboxers and avid readers

Bingo callers and jackpot winnersFlower arrangers and window boxers

We’reSilver surfers and life-long learners

Church goers and non-believersSun worshippers and star gazers

We’re:Whist drivers and day trippers

Strictly come dancers and Blackpool illuminators Weight watchers and cake monsters

We’reHome owners and household dwellersSelf caterers and proud housekeepers

Community builders and Don’t-Be-A-Strangers

We’re:Bird watchers and pastel painters

Mad hatters and wacky racersBloody good laughers and there’s some right rum

buggers!

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Renowned UK performance poet, Tony Walsh (aka Longfella), has given the first public reading of his new poem, ‘We are Belong villagers’, at Belong Wigan, in Platt Bridge. The poem was commissioned by Belong to communicate what it’s like to live in a modern care setting, where care is at its best.

Belong Life Summer 2014

“I therefore offered to run a poetry session at Belong Wigan. About a dozen residents and a couple of members of staff attended and we had a lot of fun. As an unexpected bonus, the session also gave me the inspiration for my overall poem, which takes the form of a simple “kenning” - a poetic form with Norse roots, linked to the Scottish use of the word “ken” - to know. Through the poem, we hope that people will come to know the very different and first class way that Belong villages do things.”

Tracy Paine, Operations Director at Belong, said: “The care sector gets a lot of bad press, often based on outdated ideas. We commissioned Tony because we wanted to give voice to the people that make Belong villages their home and continue to lead wonderful lives here, as well as to the many dedicated staff supporting them. Everybody that participated in his poetry workshop at Belong Wigan last year had a fantastic time, and they’re proud to know that their conversations that day inspired ‘We are Belong villagers’.”

‘We’re Belong Villagers’

To listen to the full recording of Tony Walsh reading ‘We are Belong villagers’ visit www.belong.org.uk

Poem by Tony WalshPictured: Belong Wigan residents (left to right): Marion Clarke, Lilian Moss, Ann Dorrington and Nina Greenwood with Tony Walsh.

We’reComfy slippers and non-worriersBell ringers and quick respondersSafe feelers and always on callers

We’reEarly risers and afternoon nappersDeep thinkers and day dreamersStory tellers and sound sleepers

We’reImmaculate cleaners and great pride takers

Happy in our workers and great entertainersProud team members and dead good listeners.

We’reHard workers and job lovers

Conscientious carers and privacy protectors Freedom fighters and dignity preservers

We’reCrossword puzzlers and problem solvers

Company keepers and hand holders We’re memory sharers and never forgetters

We’re Flexible supporters and customer carers

Red tape removers and family re-assurersProper employers and constant improvers

Because we’reNot profit makers but re-investorsStandard bearers and flag wavers

Market leaders and proud award winners

So we’re:Happy campers and home for lifers.

Happy sons and daughters and satisfied customers.We’re happy you choose us and here when you

need us.

We’re Belong Villagers.

However, Les hasn’t always worked in the police force. Born in 1924, he began his working life in construction engineering. He was employed at a construction company until the end of the Second World War, but was amongst many who lost their jobs at this time as the demand for construction engineers dropped.

He then successfully applied to the Royal Air Force and went on to serve for two years as a mechanical engineer before leaving to join his father’s sheet metal light engineering company. It was through his father that Les got to know and enjoy the company of several local policemen, who encouraged him to join the force. So at 25 years of age, Les joined Salford City Police.

All in a day’s duty

A popular figure on the streets of Salford, Les enjoyed his work and got on well with everyone he met in the line of duty. He never wanted to take the exams which would lead to more senior positions within the force, but instead took great pleasure from his everyday duties helping the general public. When once asked by the Chief Inspector why he had never studied for promotion, Les’s response was: “There’s a need for Indians as well as chiefs and I’m more than happy to be an Indian.”

Over the years, Les also worked as a plain clothes detective but finally settled in the Traffic Department, which is where he stayed until his retirement from the police force in 1979. Les recalls many sad incidents when he was called to the scene of fatal accidents, but probably the most memorable accident that he attended had a happier ending than most. A young girl, aged 10, had been hit by a motor car and it was Les’s quick

Belong Crewe resident, Les Evans, originally from Salford, remembers happy days providing a valued service to the general public as a bobby on the beat.

Memory Lane...

Popular bobby on the beat rests his feet at Belong Crewe

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During her time as General Manager for Belong Macclesfield, Janine Curwell developed a reputation for harnessing the individual skills of staff to provide the highest standards of care to customers. Since her appointment to the role of General Manager for Belong Warrington, however, Janine has embarked upon her greatest challenge yet.

“You’d be amazed by the work that goes into creating a Belong village. The only real constant is planning. Everything I do now is based on a timetable leading up to the opening day later in the summer. To that end, the first thing that I needed to do was recruit a great management team to help me.

“Creating the right team for Belong Warrington was all about selecting people with the right values and attitudes. I want to work with staff that have the enthusiasm necessary to provide outstanding levels of care, people with qualifications that we can continue to build on with our comprehensive training programme.

The right people

“By April I had successfully completed the village management team, starting with the appointment of Phil Caine in the role of Support Manager. The managers needed to come first, because they all play a role in recruiting and selecting the teams of staff that they’re going to work with. Together we’re creating a confident and competent workforce, with a high awareness of the needs of people living with dementia.

“The physical building work is still being finalised, so I regularly attend site meetings to keep abreast of progress. I’m also in the process of registering the services that we’ll offer, so that, for example, NHS services in the local community know that we’re qualified to care for people living with dementia.

In the community

“Making ties with Warrington community groups is also important. Little things like this could easily be overlooked,

Janine Curwellactions in getting an ambulance to the scene swiftly that was reckoned to have saved her life.

It was several months later when he was wandering around the stalls of a local market that the same young girl appeared from nowhere, rushing over to wrap her arms around him, and giving him a huge hug. Her parents joined her and he recalls being thanked profusely for what to him was all in the line of duty.

Life beyond the force

Plans for a leisurely retirement in 1979 soon changed when, just a week after leaving the police force, Les was persuaded to take a job as a store detective for a well known retailer. He enjoyed a further 10 years working with the general public in this role.

Les moved to Crewe in 2013 to be nearer to his only daughter Yvonne after his wife Joan’s illness began to affect his own health. With Joan needing full time nursing care, Les settled into one of the light and spacious apartments at Belong Crewe, enabling him to retain his independence, whilst knowing that help and support is always near to hand.

A day in the life of Belong General Manager,

but we want local colleges and schools to know that we can provide vocational placements in the village. Our salon and gym both provide excellent opportunities for students to work with the people living here.

“Of course, Belong Warrington would be nothing without the people that are preparing to move in, and I’m introducing myself to as many of our future customers as possible. I want to create a vibrant community, where people have a sense of being involved and have a lot to look forward to. Laying the groundwork for a varied programme of events for residents means creating ties with local groups and clubs. We want to give people in the households the opportunity to continue exploring the same activities that they were involved with before coming into the village.

Quality first

“There’s so much work to be done, but it’s all very exciting. By the time our first customer steps through the front door, they’ll meet a team that have bonded by putting the finishing touches on the village.

“I’m determined that everything will be just right. I have no doubt that the level of care at Belong Warrington will be of an exceptionally high standard. We’re all very committed to that.”

Belong Life Summer 2014

Pictured (left): Les with a former colleague

at Salford City Police Station.

Pictured: Les enjoys a cuppa in the Bistro at Belong Crewe.

Noticeboard

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Residents and Experience Day Customers from Belong Atherton visited the World’s Biggest Pear Drop on a day out at Oswaldwistle Mill recently.

When Nicola Beaver, the Experience Coordinator at the village, heard residents talking about the tourist attraction, which is in her hometown, she vowed to arrange a visit.

During their trip, the party from Belong visited the Heritage Centre, Textile Museum and Stockley’s Sweet Shop, where they stocked up on sweets from their childhood. Elsie Gerrard, who lives in a household at Belong Atherton, said: “We were always seeing adverts for the Mill on television, so it was lovely to be able to go together as a group.”

Julie Washington, General Manager for Belong Atherton, said of the trip: “It’s vital that people accessing care services are given the freedom to pursue their interests and the same kind of choice and independence to that we are all accustomed to. Everybody that visited Oswaldwistle Mill had a wonderful time, and they’re already planning where to go next.”

CHARITY BIKE RIDECongratulations to the team from Belong Crewe, who managed to raise over £500 for the residents at the village recently, by taking part in a sponsored bike ride, covering 35 miles from the village to the Candle Factory in Burwardsley and back.

Well done team!

The team, pictured above, include: Sam Jackson, Head Chef, Julie Kenworthy, Experience Support Worker, Melanie Saywell, General Manager, Nathan Harrison, Support Worker, Lee Edwards, Experience Coordinator, Clare Edgley, Community Support Worker, and Clare’s Husband.

Belong Summer 2014

Belong Atherton’s Pilgrimage to the World’s Biggest Pear Drop

Belong pilgrimage to the World’s Biggest Pear Drop

“I started working at Belong Macclesfield in June 2008 having just returned from backpacking round the world. My original plan was to work for a year and then move abroad – six years on and I’m still here! “Whilst at Belong Macclesfield, I progressed from my role as a receptionist to an administrator, focusing on the

personnel side of the role, and in 2012 I was fortunate enough to go to Belong Crewe, as a Front of House Manager, to cover a temporary period of maternity leave. This was a learning curve and stood me in good stead for my future challenge at Belong Warrington.

“During my six years at Macclesfield I’m proud of the contribution I’ve made to the organisation. It’s had its ups and downs; I’ve made some friends for life but feel that now is the right time to move on.

“I’ve always wanted to be on board for a new Belong village and relish the challenges that this will bring. I look forward to working with colleagues old (Janine and Michelle, I’m not referring to age!) and new and know we will make a great team in the creation of Belong Warrington.

“P.S. I still plan to move abroad but maybe in retirement!”

Carolyn says farewell to Belong Macclesfield

Walter Morris, aged 88, who lives at Belong Wigan, in Platt Bridge, resigned himself to missing the wedding of his granddaughter, Jennie, when he heard that she was getting married in Germany this year. Walter’s son, Bryan, and staff from Belong Wigan, however, were adamant that Walter would participate.

Using her iPad, Jennie was able to see and speak to her grandfather in Wigan on the big day, and was surprised to see him having a wedding party of his own. Using FaceTime from the wedding in Germany to initiate a video call, Jennie found her grandfather celebrating in style, sharing champagne, buttonholes and a wedding cake with residents and staff at Belong Wigan.

Jennie Skupch (née Morris) developed an interest in Germany when she visited the country during a student exchange programme. Now working for a business in Cologne, she still comes to visit her grandfather at Belong Wigan whenever she gets the opportunity, but never imagined that she would see him on her wedding day.

Walter was born in Greengate, Salford, in 1926, and worked as a bus driver as a young man. He married in 1953, and his first child Bryan, was born in 1954, after which Walter moved to Westhoughton and began work in the transport department of the Manchester Evening News. Walter worked for the MEN until he retired in 1988.

Bryan Morris said of the wedding day: “My father was so happy that he could join us for such a special occasion. It took some work to coordinate, but the staff at Belong Wigan were incredibly

Digital wedding bells chimeat Belong Wigan

helpful. They were enjoying Buck’s Fizz while we were struggling to get reception at a small village in Germany.

“A number of years ago my business, BCM, helped to develop energy efficiency strategies for Belong Wigan, before it was under construction. The Belong village impressed me so much that my father now calls it home, but I never expected them to be involved in family weddings!”

Pictured left: Walter celebrates with Belong’s Experience Coordinator, Marie Calderbank. Pictured right: Walter talks to granddaughter Jennie via FaceTime.

Pictured: Belong Atherton resident, Elsie Gerrard, with

Experience Coordinator, Darren Gibson