The Orchard Nursing Home Receives Special Award At The Mayor’s Pride Awards 2024
A team from the Orchard Nursing Home were delighted to receive the Intergenerational Award at the St Albans Mayor’s Pride Awards held at St Albans Civic Centre on Tuesday 5th March.
An Award to Celebrate Intergenerational Activities
To mark the theme of his year in office, ‘All Ages Together', the Mayor had announced that alongside the eight regular voting categories, he would also give a special award, explaining:
“During my time as Mayor, I have been keen to highlight initiatives to bring together people of all ages and tackle loneliness and isolation. That is why there will be a special award to an individual or group that has impressed us with their work in this important area”.
Acknowledging The Orchard’s Work with the Local Community
The Mayor and Mayoress of St Albans had visited The Orchard earlier this year and heard all about the wellbeing team’s great connections with local community. In particular they were impressed by The Orchard’s commitment to building relationships with schools in the area, so it was wonderful that the team’s hard work was recognised at The Mayor’s Pride Awards, and fitting that the Skyswood Primary and Nursery School were also recipients.
The event was attended on behalf of The Orchard by Customer Relations Manager, Sharon Butler, Senior Wellbeing Coordinator, Vicky Ashby and Wellbeing Coordinator, Gami Senanayake. They were presented with the Intergenerational Award by the Mayoress, who has worked in Health and Social Care with the elderly.
After giving the award to the team, the Mayoress made a sincere speech about the importance of bringing different generations together and how, although many homes have inspired her over the years, The Orchard’s wellbeing team have made a special effort to form lasting friendships with the generations.
8-Year Old Chloe Gets a Special Mention
The Mayoress went on to add a touching story about Vicky’s daughter:
“Chloe, who is only 8, has been a volunteer since she was 4 weeks old. Chloe does little jobs for the residents and they all light up when they see her, but one story Vicky told me really stood out, and shows why intergenerational activities are so important. Chloe visited one of the residents who is living with dementia and is nonverbal. When she saw Chloe, the resident actually spoke and said, “Hello, darling”, because she was so used to seeing Chloe in the home. Being with the older generation has also given Chloe confidence and social skills, and she brings so much pleasure to many people”.
Chloe’s story was a particularly lovely way to highlight the importance of interaction between the generations and a great moment for the team, who left the event on a high:
“We’re all so very proud to be recognised for the awards as the room was filled with such amazing and worthy people who could have been chosen. There were many categories, which nominated many wonderful people within the community, so to win the Intergenerational Award felt special”.
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.
