Perry Manor resident scoops top prize in Care UK’s national poetry competition

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Jun 08, 2015

Residents at Perry Manor care home in Worcester have been celebrating after Elizabeth Richards, aged 80, was awarded first place for her entry into Care UK’s nature-inspired national poetry competition.

Elizabeth, who has lived at the care home since October 2014, took top honours in the competition for her entry ‘A Brief Encounter’, which had been inspired by recent local nature and bird watching activity at Perry Manor.

The national poetry competition was held to coincide with World Poetry Day and it was opened up to all Care UK care homes and day centres.  Entries were themed around nature and bird watching, following the success of the residents’ involvement the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch and the British Trust for Ornithology’s National Nest Box Week back in February. 

Mike Dearn, home manager at Perry Manor, said: “We are all delighted Liz’s poem was awarded first prize in the national poetry competition and we are all very proud of her achievement. We had such a wonderfully enthusiastic response to the nature-related activities which took place earlier in the year and this competition gave the residents at Perry Manor another way of showing their love of birds and wildlife.  

“Getting closer to nature has many physical and emotional benefits, with the sights and sounds of the garden being particularly therapeutic for those living with dementia. The poetry competition encouraged residents to connect with their outdoor space and the wildlife on their doorstep, and it was fantastic to see just how inspired they were by this.