Rhyming fun a hit at Abney Court

Home news

Mar 29, 2018

It was time to rhyme at Abney Court, when it opened its doors to a local amateur dramatics group and high school students to celebrate World Poetry Day.

Residents spent the day reading, writing and sharing some of their favourite poems with creative writing students from the Kingsway School in Cheadle.

After gathering the residents’ most treasured memories over the past few weeks, the students marked the celebrations by turning these memories into poetry and reading it aloud to the them. They also put together a poem about what life is like at Abney Court, using the thoughts and comments of residents.

As part of the day’s celebration, residents also received a special visit from members of local amateur dramatics groups, Chads Theatre and Stockport Garrick, who recited a classic selection of poems.

Home manager, Tracy Mitchell said: “Our World Poetry Day celebration is a great example of how activity based care at Abney Court supports residents to continue enjoying their passions and hobbies. It is remarkable to see how reading poetry aloud can really bring people together and put a smile on the faces of everyone around.

“For older people living with dementia, somebody reading aloud to them – whether it be a poem or short story – can have many therapeutic benefits due to its calming nature. We had a wonderful time celebrating all things poetry with our residents and would like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to make the day extra special. The residents were thrilled about the poems that the students had crafted using their memories.”