Swaffham Newsletter

Downham Grange
State of the art, loving care in Downham Market
Welcome to Downham Grange Care Home, a striking new
purpose-built development in Downham Market.
We provide meaningful person-centred exceptional care for those in
need of residential, respite, nursing or dementia care.
Boasting 62 en-suite bedrooms, the home has
been finished to the most luxurious standards,
with extra-wide corridors, a variety of large
spacious and comfortable lounges and dining
rooms with kitchenette areas that help to promote
independence and social inclusion.
The home has been designed to meet the needs
of people who require nursing and dementia
care. This exciting new development meets our
Kingsley care ethos, responding to individual
needs and providing the highest standards of care.
Like all Kingsley Healthcare Homes, our care is
focused around each person’s individual needs and
wishes. We value and respect how each person
chooses to spend their day.
Our strong ethos of person-centred care runs
through everything we do. Our staff are all highly
experienced and receive on-going training to make
sure that we deliver only the very best quality care.
We really want to make a difference
to the lives of the people we care for.
With this in mind we have built the
home to the highest specifications,
giving particular consideration
to making the design and layout
suitable for people living with a
dementia.
This new home will enable us to
continue to provide high-quality
surroundings and environment. It
will ensure our staff deliver quality
of service and improve the quality of
life of our residents every day.
The staff at Downham Grange go
that extra mile to make the home
feel comfortable and relaxed. We
like Downham Grange to feel like
a ‘home from home’. We encourage
people to take part in the daily living
activities as well as other ongoing
activities that take place throughout
the day.
“It took me just a few
days to feel at home
because the staff are
so welcoming and
caring”
Downham Grange Care Home
Clackclose Road, Downham Market,
Norfolk PE38 9PA
Tel 01366 387054 Fax 01366 385861
downham.manager@kingsleyhealthcare.co.uk
www.kingsleyhealthcare.co.uk
Iceni Rural Writers
This month, Iceni Writers welcomed both visitors and
workshop leader, Martin Figura, published poet from
Norwich area. We were asked to bring a photograph
of personal significance and an object that mattered
to us. Martin guided us through writing exercises,
discussing respective photos and looking at another
poet's work that described a character, the setting and
the time period. Then we were given time to create
a poem based on our own photo we had brought to
the workshop. Some members volunteered to read
out their poems and Martin gave constructive and
positive feedback.
Here is an example of a poem that a workshop visitor
produced:
Interruption
Where dust rolls into the sea
for a time,
we forget we're pushing 40.
Maybe it's 1995,
and reaching the next level of Zelda
was " the responsibility, man," ( it was).
Like Gravity had its' work cut out.
On the Pier, I put on my lipgloss in secret,
A fugitive, stealing kisses we don't deserve.
By Amy Hart.
Although Iceni Writers is at capacity, there is a
waiting list, and people interested in joining or future
workshops, should contact Secretary - Leah Spencer,
01366 328536.
President’s Corner
Swaffham
As I write we have not fully collected final figures for
our Visual Arts Festival and the final art exhibition
at its end. However we do know that it was another
great Festival, promoting the Arts in Swaffham
and District with a sizeable profit to enable us to
continue to support our Charities. The final part The
art exhibition was particularly successful with 300
works of art on display of which 20 % sold. Thanks
are due to the public who supported us and our
club members who worked so hard throughout the
Festival and our sponsors Abel Homes.
On Saturday 1st December 2018 we hold our Annual
Christmas Fayre at the Assembly Rooms in Swaffham
9.30 am - 2.30pm
This is the 11th Fayre we have held and it contains
gifts, cards, cakes, tombola, raffle and charity stalls
from at least 20 local charities and voluntary bodies
that support us and Swaffham & District. We are
expecting The Assembly Rooms to be full again. The
1st Fayre had an excess of income over expenditure
of a little over £200,last year after paying the costs
of hiring the Assembly Rooms we had a surplus of
just £300. One “tradition” which has contributed
to this success is donors buying back bottles which
were donated ! So we provide a shop window for
the voluntary bodies and charities and the last Fayre
in 2017 raised something over £2000 to spend on
local projects.
We do not ask every stall holder how they got on but
usually ask one or two for an indicator. Last year 1st
timers TOSH were delighted to clear £100 and asked
to come back this year. Georgie was very happy to
raise over £200, saying her unsold cakes would be
served to Monday’s Merle Boddy clients - she later
reported the final figure was £230. Litcham School
raised well over £500, a fantastic amount, well
deserved given the effort they and their supporters
put in to provide such a tempting range of delicious
food. It is no more than a guestimate but those the
day is organised for could have raised more than
£20,000 over the 10 years of The Fayre.
Next year in our 50th Club Anniversary we have
booked the Assembly Rooms for The Fayre on
Saturday 30th November 2019. Please come and
support us this year.
This Year’s Christmas Tree Festival at St Peter & St
Paul’s Church Swaffham begins on Saturday 1st
December and runs until Saturday 8th December
(tree collections day)
In last month’s column I mentioned Rtn. Mark Little
of the Rotary Club of Norwich St. Edmunds who came
to talk to us regarding modern day slavery. He first
became aware of the amount of slavery prevailing
in the world after watching a TV programme on the
subject several years ago. He felt that the Rotary
movement should do something about this and so
formed The Rotary Action Group against Slavery. This
has now grown to a wordwide movement within
Rotary. He has contacts with governments around
the world (including our own and has met with
Teresa May on the subject). Millions are still enslaved
around the world including those in our own country.
Mark is leading this Rotary movement. He spoke
to us last month with a passion, mentioning the
horrible amount of child slavery that exists as well
and reminded us that as individuals we have a joint
responsibility to end this obnoxious crime of modern
slavery.
So we now look forward to celebrating our 50 years
of serving our local community of Swaffham &
District. Next month we will start our photographic
competition called “ Capture Swaffham “ where all
are encouraged to photograph the town, to arrive
at a modern collection of photographs to record
the Town and form a record as Leslie Kendle the
boot mender did all those years ago. More details
regarding this in next month’s issue.
On behalf of the members of the Rotary Club of
Swaffham may I thank the residents and businesses
of Swaffham & District for their support for our Club
in 2018 and wish them a very Happy Christmas and
good health and prosperity in 2019.
Malcolm Whittley
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