Residents Parade Their Flame With A Flourish At The Orchard Olympics
With the Paris Olympics on the horizon, residents at The Orchard were keen to get into the spirit of the Games, so what better way to start than with an iconic Olympic flame to launch their own participation!
The Torch Takes to the Road
The Orchard’s Wellbeing team are no strangers to creativity and have a full Olympic-inspired schedule planned for the residents to run alongside coverage of the Paris Games on TV. But to ignite the Orchard Olympics, the team decided they needed an Olympic torch and flame and used their crafting skills to create one.
The stage was set for a torch relay around the home and residents got into the spirit of the action, waving flags representing participating countries and singing ‘She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain’ as the torch went on its way. It started off on the second floor, then Barbara walked the torch down to first floor and passed it onto Janet who descended to the ground floor and handed the torch to Hazel.
Resident Hazel – One of 1924’s Finest!
At 100 years young, Hazel is The Orchard’s oldest resident and it was fitting that she was given the honour of ‘lighting the Orchard flame’ with the torch.
Hazel was born in November 1923 so she’d have been less than a year old when the Olympic Games were last held in France – too young to take in some interesting facts: the 1924 Olympics were the first to create an Olympic Village for the athletes; the Games at which a certain Johnny Weissmuller – later beloved as the movie character ‘Tarzan’ - won three swimming gold medals; and most famously, the year of the classic British track rivalry between Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell which was immortalised in the 1981 film ‘Chariots of Fire’.
Laughter Is The Best Tonic
There was more rather more fun and laughter on The Orchard’s circuit from second to ground floor than on the track and field 100 years ago, but the team are big believers that laughter is the best medicine and this is why they always have so much fun. In fact resident Barbara, flushed with pride after completing her leg of the torch relay said, “I have never laughed so much in my life before moving in here!!”
The Wellbeing team ensure that residents participate in the best person-centered activities so that everyone can enjoy some sort of engagement to make them smile and feel included. The journey of the torch and the lighting of the flame is only the beginning of The Orchard’s Olympic journey and with games galore on the activities planner during the next few weeks, residents are well and truly ready to embody the spirit of the Games!
Discover The Orchard Nursing Home in St Albans
The Orchard Nursing Home, a modern and comfortable care home based in St Albans is beautifully furnished and offers residential, nursing and dementia care. Our location makes us convenient for family and friends who are visiting the home, and we’re perfectly located for a host of different outings across Hertfordshire.
For more information about The Orchard Nursing Home, please visit our dedicated page for more information. You can also find information on our other care homes by exploring our site. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out more.
