Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme – it’s poetry time at Cairdean House

Home news

Oct 02, 2018

Cairdean House is inviting the local community to join residents to celebrate National Poetry Day on Friday 5th October.

National Poetry Day is an annual celebration that inspires people throughout the UK to enjoy, discover and share poems. This year, the team at Cairdean House will open its doors from 11am-12pm for a morning of word play and rhyming fun. 

Residents and guests will be celebrating the day by reading a number of their favourite poems and rhymes aloud. There will also be a Robert Burns impersonator, who will recite some of the Scotsman’s most famous poems, including ‘To a Mouse’, ‘To a Louse’, ‘A Red, Red Rose’, ‘Willie Wastle’ and ‘Tam O' Shanter’. Guests will also be treated to a high tea, specially prepared by the chefs at Cairdean House. 

In preparation for the event, residents are being encouraged to get their creative juices flowing by putting pen to paper to create their very own short verses and poems, as part of Care UK’s nationwide poetry competition. 

Home manager at Cairdean House, Gillian Goodall, said: “We’re joining in with National Poetry Day this year to promote the enjoyment, discovery and sharing of poetry across all age groups. Everyone has a favourite poem which has inspired them at some point in their life, and we want to encourage people in the local community to come together and share their favourites – or perhaps even some that they have written themselves. 

“Reading poems, or being read to, can have many therapeutic benefits, especially for older people, including increasing social interaction, inspiring creativity and reducing anxiety. Poetry can even stimulate memories, encouraging reminiscence, which is incredibly beneficial for older people, particularly those living with dementia.”