Etching to go! Local care home residents celebrate their artwork at OXO Tower

Residents at a local care home celebrated coming second in an international competition with a special visit to see their artwork showcased in the OXO Tower. 

The team at Care UK’s Sherwood Grange, on Robin Hood Lane, supported residents to participate in the ‘Vivid Dreams’, Parkinson’s Art Competition 2021 – and were thrilled to find out they had been awarded second place – and their artwork is now featured in a gallery at the OXO Tower Wharf. 

 

To celebrate the impressive achievement, over the course of three days, residents visited the gallery to see their artwork take pride of place within the exhibition. 

The competition highlights the benefits of art for those living with Parkinson’s disease and provides a platform to collaborate, raise awareness and share good practice for those affected by the disease. All entries to the competition were judged by Sky Arts Portrait of the Year 2020 winner, Duncan Shoosmith.  

With movement the theme for this year’s entry, the team at Sherwood Grange decided to build on their weekly ‘Tranquillity and Stretch’ exercise sessions, where residents enjoy yoga inspired movements to improve their strength and flexibility and boost their physical and mental wellbeing. 

Team members photographed residents for a series of images to recreate their own version of the famous ‘Animal Locomotion’ series by Kingston Upon Thames born photographer, Eadweard Muybridge. Making sure each image was of the highest standard, resident Ida brought her own experience and skills as a professional photographer to ensure every angle would grab the judge’s attention. 

Commenting on the exhibition, resident Marion who lives with Parkinson’s said: “I very much enjoyed going to the exhibition. I felt the artworks were very varied which to me reflected the different symptoms you get with the condition.” 

 

Another resident, Mollie, said: “I enjoyed the opportunity to travel into London and to visit an exhibition. This is the first time we have been to an exhibition since before COVID, we used to visit galleries all the time, so this was great.” 

Rick Mayne, Home Manager at Sherwood Grange, said: “It is absolutely wonderful to be able to take residents out for trips again and create new memorable experiences – especially ones which showcase the residents own work!

“At Sherwood Grange, we regularly find opportunities to showcase the creativity of the residents and team. We are thrilled to win second prize in this international competition and to help raise awareness of Parkinson’s. For many residents, this was their first visit out since the lockdown restrictions have been lifted, so to see everyone socialising, enjoying the exhibition and the views of London, was lovely to see. We hope to plan more trips for the residents very soon.”

Sherwood Grange has been designed to encourage residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while remaining as independent as possible in a safe environment. The ‘Outstanding’-rated, state-of-the-art care home features a cinema, hair salon and art studio, and incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room, to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

To find out more about Sherwood Grange, please contact Customer Relations Manager Jonathan Fahy at jonathan.fahy@careuk.com or call 020 4502 8956.

For more general information, please visit: careuk.com/sherwood-grange.