GossipISSUE 33 | MAY 2013

Smalley Hall go back to the 1940s!

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE...

Inside Gossip is your newsletter so we want your contributions! Residents, relatives and staff are all welcome to write in. Whether its an article on a trip or event that’s happened at your home, perhaps you’d like to write about something you’d like to reminisce about with others, you might want to write a letter to get your view across about something you feel passionate about. What about something you’ve made that you’d like to share with everyone at Ashmere? You could even put together a quiz or riddle for puzzle corner. Just hand it in to the Activities Co-ordinator or

Manager at your home & we’ll make sure its in the next newsletter!

WRITE FOR THE ASHMERE INSIDE GOSSIP!

Inside

Staff & Residents at Smalley Hall travelled back in time to the 1940s this month. All the staff made a wonderful effort with dressing up and all our residents and relatives loved it! The day started off with a War Time sing along, residents sang along to songs that took them back to their childhood. We also had a reminiscing session with a box full of 1940s goodies which we were kindly loaned by Erewash Museum, Doris had a giggle when she tried on an old tin helmet. After lunch, everyone was treated to Afternoon Tea with some lovely homemade cakes that were beautifully decorated by one of our residents, Joan. We also had entertainment from one

of our members of staff, Sharon & her daughter who sang some wonderful 1940s songs for us & certainly looked the part. They went down very well with our residents. In the evening, residents and their relatives enjoyed a three course meal together with their loved one by candlelight & were even treated to a few wartime noises such as the air raid siren to take our residents back in time. Everyone had a wonderful time & we raised a brilliant £102 for the residents fund. Thank you all the staff and relatives for all their help and support & a big well done to Sally, our Activities Co-ordinator for a brilliant event!

Who has been celebrating their 100th birthday? ................... Page 2

Who’s had a visit from some feline friends?.................................Page 4

Who has created this beautiful display?.................................Page 7

Codnor Park News Tel: 01773 74111188 Glass House Hill, Codnor, DE5 9QT

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Happy Birthday!

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Evelyn FarrJean Thornley

Have a lovely birthday!

Upcoming Events

A trip to ChurchOur residents have been enjoying a regular trip to Codnor Methodist Church for toasted tea cakes & a cup of tea. They always make us feel very welcome & its nice to meet new people & have a chat! We’re looking forward to our next visit

already!

What’s been happening!

A few weeks ago, we had a wonderful trip out driving around Derbyshire. When we got back, both residents and staff sat around a table with a cup of tea and cake & enjoyed a chat. As we had such fun, we’ve decided to make it a weekly event. We’ll be offering Afternoon Tea & cake in the dining room every Friday afternoon at 1.30pm. Relatives & friends are more than welcome to

join us!

Betty Smith, Laura Morrell & Florence Wright. We hope you’ll be very happy in your

new home!

Welcome!

Wednesday 17th JulyRoyal Baby Party

We’ll be having a party and entertainment from Kevin & Marie to celebrate the Royal Baby

so come & help us to party!!

Staff BirthdaysHappy Birthday to Chantel Roberts, Lynne Messam,

Anita Slater & Bridget

Friday 26th JulyBeach Party

From 10.00amWe’ll be holding a Beach Party theme for the summer with lots going on! We’ll also be offering fish & chips outside in our garden, £2.00 per person, £1.00 per child & our residents will of course be free. We’ll also have entertainment from the Noisy Neighbours who will be making sure they put everyone in the

summer mood!

George’s 100th Birthday!

George had a wonderful time at his 100th Birthday Party with his relatives and friends. A huge thank you to everyone who came from Codnor Methodist Church and made it so special. They sang some lovely songs, entertained all the residents with some reminiscing and did a lovely speech about George’s life. It was a lovely atmosphere in the home and thank you to Alan who finished the party off with a lovely thank you speech and a rendition of ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’ which everyone joined in with. Thank you for everyone who helped George

celebrate his milestone birthday!Friday 21st JulyNational Care Home Open Day

10.00am 2.30pm Codnor Park will be opening their doors to the local community for National Care Home Open Day.

For more details, see page 9.

Our residents have been busy making their own door signs with a small canvas to create their own artwork on. They’re looking brilliant on the doors, we have a lot of very talented artists! Make sure to have a look next time you

visit!

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The Firs News Tel: 01773 74381090 Glass House Hill, Codnor, DE5 9QT

Happy Birthday!Stephen HallJack MortonJoan Horton

The Firs get Gardening!

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We’d like to say a big thank you to our gardener, Richard & Peter Sharpe for making Gardening Club a success. Our herbs have really grown. We have already used some of our lettuces & radishes for tea which our residents really enjoyed. Everyone has done a brilliant job of looking after the plants each week & we’re looking forward to taste testing more of our garden very soon!

Upcoming Events

Its been another busy month at The Firs with Charlotte, our Activities Co-ordinator. We’ve had regular games of dominos, cards and quizzes each week. Eileen Chaplin has been knitting a blanket which will be donated to our raffle on the Rock & Roll Day. We have been exercising every Thursday with Lynsey and

having a sing song.

Monday 10th JuneQueen’s Birthday Party

4.00pm - 6.00pmEveryone is welcome to celebrate the Queen’s Birthday with us. We’ll have lots of fun, games &

entertainment!

Welcome!Phylis Elliot, Pearl Heart & Dennis Warriner. We hope

you’ll be very happy in your new home!

What’s been happening Trips Out

Saturday 15th JuneRock & Roll Day

12.00pm - 3.00pmWe’ve organised this special event for one of our residents, Gordon who has a big passion of Rock & Roll music. His favourite bands include The Beatles & Queen. We would like to make the day as special as we can for him, our residents & their families. All our staff will be dressing up for the occasion and we would love for you to join us.

Everyone is welcome!

Friday 21st JuneNational Care Home Open Day

11.00am - 2.00pmThe Firs will be opening their doors to the public for National Care Home Open Day by holding a seaside day. For more details,

see page 9.

We’ve had some brilliant trips out recently including a trip to the Garden Centre where we enjoyed a cup of tea & a cake. A walk around Matlock to get some fresh air and also a visit to Denby Pottery. All our residents have really enjoyed their days out & can not wait to go out again. We’ve got plenty more trips out planned for over the

summer!

Goodbye Jeff!Everyone at The Firs all really miss Jeff Lancashire. He was only here for a few weeks on respite & participated in most of our activities. We wish you good health & hope to see you again!

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\ Kidsley Grange News Tel: 01773 769807160 Heanor Road, Smalley, DE7 6DX

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Happy Birthday!

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Elsie Thornhill, Gwen Bloor & Mary Humes. We’re hope

you’re happy in your new home!

Welcome!

Cyril Bannister

Upcoming EventsFriday 21st June

National Care Home Open Day3.00 - 4.30pm

Kidsley Grange will be opening their doors to the local community for National Care Home Open Day.

For more details, see page 9.

Green Fingered Residents

We are pleased to tell everyone that we now have our very own tomato plants. Our residents worked very hard to get the plants planted into the pot and moved into the conservatory. Our residents are taking it in turns to water them and they are growing very well, we’re very proud! We are all looking forward to picking and trying our home grown

tomatoes very soon!

A visit from some Feline friends!

Thank you to Deanna for bringing in her 4 week old kittens for the residents to meet. Everyone was love struck from the minute they set eyes on them, the residents gave them all lots of fuss and cuddles. Some even put the kittens on their laps. We hope

to see them again very soon!

Activities this monthIts been another busy month at Kidsley Grange. We’ve been on some lovely trips out, we had a visit to the Memorial Garden, it was a chilly day but we soon warmed up with a coffee & cake in the café. We also had a regular trip to the garden centre which always goes down well. We are looking forward to going to the

Westfield centre soon! We had a new entertainer, Garry who was excellent, he had all our

residents up & dancing.We’ve also been up to the usual arts & crafts, games, pampering &

baking too!

Linda Potter Staff Birthdays

Thursday 27th JuneChinese Bistro Night

5.00 - 7.00pmAll family & friends are invited to enjoy a three course meal with their loved one as we turn Kidsley Grange into a restaurant setting. This month, we’ve got a Chinese theme. To book a table, please see

Ruth. £5 per person.

Saturday 29th JuneCoffee, Cake & Chat

10.00 - 11.00amJoin the Home Manager, Activities Co-ordinator & residents for a hot drink, homemade cakes & a chat. We look forward to seeing you

there!

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\ King William News Tel: 01773 748841Lowes Hill, Ripley, DE5 3DW

Josie HoughtonLinda MathewsJoan Summers

Edna Tatten-Jones

We hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Upcoming EventsFriday 7th June

Staff Fancy DressRetro Rock & Roll Theme. Come & join us, everyone welcome! All money raised to go to our

residents’ fund.

Monday 17th JuneFather’s Day Celebrations

We’ll be celebrating Father’s Day with entertainment from Kevin &

Marie.

Friday 21st JuneNational Care Home Open DayKing William will be opening their doors to the public for National Care Home Open Day. For more

details, see page 9.

Friday 26th JulySummer Fete

2.00pm onwardsWe’ll have lots of stalls & games, entertainment & hopefully (weather depending) a BBQ for everyone to enjoy. Everyone is welcome & all money raised will go to our residents’ fund.

Come Dine With Us

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On Wednesday 22nd May, we held a special Bistro Night with a Pie & Pea theme. For starters we served either Leek & Potato Soup or Garlic Mushrooms. The main course was the traditional Pie & Peas with Mint Sauce. For dessert, it was a choice of Baileys & Chocolate Cheesecake or Banoffee Pie. It was also special because it was Linda’s birthday, we decorated her table with birthday banners to make her feel extra special. We brought out a birthday cake & all sang Happy Birthday to her, she said it was a lovely evening. Thank you to all who came, we raised £60 for the residents fund. Keep your eyes peeled for the next evening which

will be a Chinese theme!

Heather PackhamStewart WaiteTracie Pilbeam

We hope you have a great day!

Staff Birthdays

This month, we have been focusing largely on holidays as many of our staff and resident’s family members are making their holiday plans so we discussed where everyone had been on holiday. Jess received some brilliant feedback and couldn’t believe some of the places our residents have been. Roy Brown has travelled the world when he was in the Navy & even spent over 2 years in Malta. Gillian has also visited lots of places as her dad ran the company, Horton’s Coaches. She still has every fridge magnet from everywhere she has visited.

We’ve also been doing the usual arts & crafts, games, quizzes baking & pampering activities that everyone enjoys!

What’s been happening A Trip Out for Lunch

Jessica & two residents, Linda & Joan have been out for dinner at the Red Lion in Ripley for a change of scenery. Linda chose a Thai Green Curry, it brought back some lovely memories for her as she is originally from Malaysia. She told Jess about all the different rices from her country & that yellow rice is coloured with saffron & very popular in Malaysia. Joan chose Lasagne & enjoyed every mouthful. We all agreed to do it again sometime as it was a

lovely meal.

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Smalley Hall News Main Road, Smalley, DE7 6DS

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Happy Birthday!

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Stephen FosterJoyce Owen

We hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Retirement Ros!

Ros sadly left Smalley Hall to retire on Friday 24th May. She is looking forward to spending time with her dogs & in her garden & finding somewhere to sit and paint. Head Office staff surprised her with a lovely meal at Denby Lodge, a cake of Ros & her dogs, a bouquet of

flowers & two porcelain cats for her mantelpiece. She had a party on Friday afternoon for the residents & staff & had a wonderful time. Staff at Smalley Hall did a collection for her & bought her a bouquet of flowers. We wish Ros all the best & a very Happy

Retirement! We’re all going to miss her a lot!

Tel: 01332 882848

Upcoming Events!Thursday 6th June

Coffee Morning10.00 - 11.30am

Everyone is welcome to join us for a cuppa & a slice of cake for

£1.

Monday 10th JuneResidents Meeting

10.30amWe will be holding a meeting to discuss any issues you may have

at Smalley Hall.

Friday 21st JuneNational Care Home Open Day

10.00am - 3.00pmSmalley Hall will be opening their doors to the local community for National Care Home Open Day.

For more details, see page 9.

New Displays!A huge thank you to Donna for doing our wonderful ‘Welcome to our Home’ signs. We have one in our Dining Room and the other in our Extra Care Unit. Everyone has been very impressed with them & they brighten the home up really

well!

Gardening at Smalley HallWe have been busy this month planting & gardening to make our garden look as beautiful as possible for the summer. We’ve done 10 hanging baskets, planted seeds from scratch to plant in our big pot planters. Every resident has one in the garden which they can show

their family & friends. Everyone is looking forward to the warmer weather coming soon so

they can enjoy all the flowers in the garden.

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\ Valley Lodge News Tel: 01629 583447Bakewell Road, Matlock, DE4 3BN

Cynthia Kettle

Hope you have a lovely day!

Happy Birthday!

Upcoming EventsEvery Friday

Cafe AfternoonEvery Friday afternoon, residents, relatives, staff and our other Ashmere homes are invited to join us for our Cafe Afternoon. It’s a chance for everyone to meet & have a chat over homemade cakes, biscuits & a variety of hot

& cold drinks.

Friday 31st MaySarah - Wartime Musical

2.30pmEveryone is welcome to join us to sing a long to some Wartime

Classics.

Friday 21st JuneNational Care Home Open Day

12.00 - 6.00pmValley Lodge will be holding their Summer Fete as part of National Care Home Open Day. They’ve got lots planned including lots of stalls, entertainment from the local school choir & Kevin & Marie. There’s even a kind old colleague, Wayne having his chest waxed to raise money for the home. For more

details, please see Page 9.

Happy 101st Birthday Ivy!

Valley Lodge visit Derbyshire

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This month, we’ve been all over Derbyshire with our residents & having a great time. At the beginning of the month, we visited Derwent Valley, Rita Conway (who has recently celebrated her 100th birthday) enjoyed our lovely afternoon, the weather was beautiful too! On the 8th May, we visited Barton Marina, we had a lovely walk around the Craft Centre & a stroll over to the lake to feed the ducks. We have also been to Denby Pottery to look around the shops. Thank you to Carol Hancock & Ron, our minibus driver for all your help on our days out!

We all really appreciate it!

Ivy Turberville had a fantastic 101st birthday. Her party included a visit from ‘Animal Magic’ who bought a huge variety of animals. Ivy & the other residents cuddled and held skunks, hedgehogs, corn snakes & cockroaches. Audrey, our wonderful cook also made a

brilliant cake.

Our CollageAll our residents have been busy for the past 5 weeks helping out with our collage. Thank you to everyone who has done a little towards the collage. It looks brilliant & we’ve already started work on our next display which

will be a beach scene.

Phylis Gilmore to our Day Care on a Thursday. On her first day here, Phylis really enjoyed herself . We had a full room playing musical

bingo & arm chair exercises. Everyone made Phylis feel

welcome!

Welcome!

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\ West Hallam News Tel: 0115 944 03298 Newdigate Street, West Hallam DE7 6GZ

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Dorothy KnightRhoda James

Peggy RushtonEsme Buxton

A Trip to the Garden Centre!

We had our first mini bus trip of the year, thanks to our Home Manager Kate driving the minibus for us. May, Laura, Nancy & Dot all enjoyed a trip out to the Little Eaton Garden Centre. We enjoyed a look round at all the budding flowers & had a well deserved cup of tea and cake. We’re very excited about our mini bus trips being so regular again & are looking forward to our next trip out which is a boat trip down the River

Trent. Fingers crossed the weather cheers up!

Colin entertains West Hallam

We had a fantastic entertainer, Colin Jackson come and visit us. Our residents had a fantastic sing a long and dance & have asked to have him back again soon! Thank you Colin for a

brilliant show!

A Pamper Sesh for Residents & Staff

We have had the girls from Aldercar Beauty College come & pamper our residents with a manicure and hand massage. Everyone really enjoys it and the residents look forward to seeing

the girls for a chat.

Our staff will also be getting a treat off Aldercar College offering back & shoulder massages. Its a lovely treat for the staff & they’re

all looking forward to the visit!

Birthdays!

Mary MaddocksSteve BurgessSuzanne Palai

Staff Birthdays!

\ :////:////http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/puzzles/31166xszkb.png http://puzzlemaker.discoveryNational Care Home Open Day

Happy RetirementSteve!

Staff at West Hallam would like to wish our handy man, Steve Burgess a very Happy Retirement! We’re all going miss you & we’ve put a little surprise together for

you on Page 12.

Friday 21st JuneNational Care Home Open Day

10.00 - 12.00pmWest Hallam are opening their doors to the local community for National Care Home Open Day. For

more details, see Page 9.

Tuesday 25th JuneFish & Chip Bistro Night

Make sure you book early to avoid disappointment for our next Bistro Night. Half of our proceeds will go

to the Marie Curie Cancer Care. Everyone is welcome!

Upcoming Events

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\ :////:////http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/puzzles/31166xszkb.png http://puzzlemaker.discoveryNational Care Home Open Day

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This year, Ashmere Care Homes are taking part in the first ever National Care Home Open Day on Friday 21st June. The idea behind the day is to encourage local people to visit care homes in their neighbourhood and work together to develop better relationships between the home and the community.

For far too long the care home sector has been affected by the negative press generated by a small number of badly run homes, and we want to show people what our care homes are really about. We want everyone to realise that care homes really can be inspiring places, full of unique, intelligent and charming characters,

and run by special people that really do care.

As part of the Open Day, all our homes have various exciting events planned as you’ll see below. We want to welcome everyone to show your support to our care homes & make new friends. We hope to see you there!

Codnor Park Residential Home88 Glass House Hill, Codnor DE5 9QT

10.00am - 2.30pm

At 10.00 - 11.00am, we’ve got entertainment for all to enjoy & have a great big sing-a-long.

At 12.00pm, we’ll be offering Fish & Chips to everyone for £2 a person to enjoy with our residents & staff.

From 12.30-2.30pm, we’ll have a Bingo & Games Afternoon. There will be prizes on offer for the winners!

The Firs Nursing Home90 Glass House Hill, Codnor DE5 9QT

11.00am - 2.00pm

We’ll be bringing the Seaside to The Firs Nursing Home with a Seaside Day. BBQ goodies & ice cream will be available as well as entertainment, tours around the home to meet staff and residents & a raffle.

Kidsley Grange Nursing Home160 Heanor Road, Smalley, DE7 6DX

3.00pm - 4.30pm

Everyone is more than welcome to join us for entertainment, a quiz and a chat with a coffee or tea & homemade cakes with our staff & residents who are more than happy to answer any questions you may

have about Kidsley Grange or Care Homes in general.

King William Residential HomeLowes Hill, Ripley, DE5 3DW

During the morning there will be refreshments available and a home made bake sale, everybody is welcome to join us for dinner, there will be fish and chips available for just £2 p/p .

At 2pm, we will be having an entertainer, guitar vocalist named Dave Grant, so come along for a sing song then throughout the afternoon there will be music and games, with a buffet tea available from 5pm.

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\ ssss National Care Home Open Day

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\ :////:////:////http://puzzlemaker.discovery Poetry Corner

Smalley Hall Residential HomeMain Road, Smalley, DE7 6DS

10.00am - 3.00pm

Throughout the day we’ll be offering visitors a cuppa and a slice of cake for £1 & a chance to talk to our staff & residents. We’ll also have available a residents craft stall, gift stall, plant sale and guess the name of the teddy. All money raised will go towards the home’s residents’ fund which pays for their trips out.

Valley Lodge Nursing HomeBakewell Road, Matlock, DE4 3BN

12.00pm - 6.00pm

To celebrate National Care Home Open Day, we’ll be inviting everyone to join us for the Valley Lodge Summer Fete.

We’ll have lots going on including entertainment, stalls including tombola, guess the teddy & a cake sale. One of our old colleagues has even bravely offered to do a sponsored chest wax, which will be taking place at the fete. We’ll also have one of the local schools coming to perform at 1.30pm for everyone.

The home will also have plenty of refreshments & a chance to talk to our staff & residents over a cuppa. We’ll also be offering tours around the home to show you what Valley Lodge is really all about.

If you would like a stall at our Summer Fete, a table will cost £5.00. To book, please contact Janet Ellison on 01629 583447.

All money raised will go towards the home’s residents fund.

West Hallam Residential Home8 Newdigate Street, West Hallam, DE7 6GZ

10.00am - 12.00pm

We’ll be opening our doors to the local community to meet the staff, residents & enjoy a guided tour & a cuppa! Homemade cakes will also be available. We’ll also have entertainment, fun & games from Charlie

Speed from 10.30am. Everyone is welcome to join us.

We look forward to seeing you at one of our homes!

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\ :////:////:////http://puzzlemaker.discovery Poetry Corner

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Dorothy Thomas from Valley Lodge found out this poem which she would like to share with everyone. If you have a poem you would like to share, why not speak to your Activities Co-ordinator or Home Manager.

What do you see?What do you see, nurse, what do you see?

What are you thinking when you’re looking at me? A crabby old woman, not very wise,

Uncertain of habit, with far away eyes.

Who dribbles her food and makes no reply When you say in a loud voice, “I do wish you’d try?”

Who seems not to notice the things that you do, And forever is losing a stocking or shoe.

Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will. With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill,

Is that what you’re thinking? Is that what you see? Then open your eyes, nurse, you’re not looking at

me.

I’ll tell you who I am as I sit here so still, As I use at your bidding, as I eat at your will.

I’m a small child of ten with a father and mother, Brothers and sisters, who love one another.

A young girl of sixteen, with wings on her feet, Dreaming that soon now a lover she’ll meet.

A bride soon at twenty, my heart gives a leap, Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five now, I have young of my own, Who need me to guide, and a secure happy home.

A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast, Bound to each other with ties that should last.

At forty my young sons have grown and are gone, But my man’s beside me to see I don’t mourn.

At fifty once more babies play around my knee, Again we know children, my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead, I look at the future, I shudder with dread.

For my young are all rearing young of their own, And I think of the years and the love that I’ve known.

I’m now an old woman and nature is cruel, ‘Tis just to make old age look like a fool.

The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart, There is now a stone where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells, And now and again my battered heart swells.

I remember the joys, I remember the pain, And I’m loving and living life over again.

I think of the years, all too few, gone too fast, And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, nurses, open and see, Not a crabby old woman LOOK CLOSER, SEE ME!

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Ashmere Derbyshire

90 Glass House HillCodnorRipleyDE5 9QT

Phone: 0845 602 2059Fax: 01773 749 259E-mail: rebecca.jones@ashmere.co.uk

care homes for loved ones.

Ashmere have been caring in Derbyshire for over 25 years. The business has been family owned and run across three generations.

We aim to provide the very best care for residents, providing a range of care from residential, nursing and to Dementia care in our extra care units.

In addition to long term care, we also provide respite care and day care to assist those who are still able to live at home.

If you would like any additional information about the company or services on offer, please contact Rebecca Jones using the details provided on the left or visit our website - www.ashmere.co.uk

Poetry Corner

Its time to say goodbye,Amazing how time does fly.

10 years you have been with us,Please come back to drive the bus!

The girls here are going to miss you,The residents will be crying too.Though this loss won’t compareWith the intimate times you &

West Hallam surgery did share!?

We wish you & Dorothy all the best,We’re sure they’ll be not much time to rest

With all the holidays you have lined up,And vast quantities of wine we’re sure you’ll sup.

So farewell Steve,We’re really going to miss you.

And for all your hard work,We can only say a big fat thank you!

Farewell to the most reliable man in our lives

Here’s a little something the West Hallam team have put together for Steve Burgess who retired on Friday 31st May.

HAPPY RETIREMENT STEVE!XXX