Re-bark-able – creative Banbury care home resident supports canine charity

A Banbury care home resident has used her creative talents to raise funds for a charity for four-legged friends.

Val Andrews, 71, a resident at Care UK’s Highmarket House, on North Bar Place, was introduced to diamond painting by a member of the team, and soon decided to turn her new hobby into a way to fundraise for Dogs for Good. 

Diamond painting is often described as a combination between cross-stitch and paint-by-numbers, which involves applying sparkling, colourful rhinestone to a canvas. Over the past few months, Val has created an entire collection of items, including cards, bookmarks and keyrings, the sale of which helped raise £110 so far. 

Based in Banbury, Dogs for Good was founded over three decades ago, and aims to bring people with disabilities and dogs together. The organisation offers a range of services to people in the Banbury community and beyond, in addition to providing trained assistance dogs and offering advice to help people better understand their four-legged friends.

Val said: “I really enjoy doing diamond painting, it’s relaxing, therapeutic and I love seeing the end results. 

“I went through a list of local charities with a member of the activity team and decided to raise money for Dogs for Good. I love dogs and thought it was different to all the big charities that everyone usually donates too. Raising over £110 is fantastic, I hope this makes a difference even if only small.”

Alessandra Knaggs, Home Manager at Highmarket House, said: “We are thrilled to see Val using her creative talents to support such a worthy cause. 

"Here at Highmarket House, we ensure we encourage residents to keep up hobbies and try new things – Val has found something she is passionate about and has a huge talent for, so we were pleased to be able to support her.  

“Val’s creations never cease to amaze all of us at Highmarket House, and I know many of our team members have purchased one of her cards. We can’t wait for Val to meet the Dogs for Good team and present them with their donation – well done Val!”

Highmarket House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia, nursing and short-term respite care. The home, which features 73 en-suite bedrooms, has been designed to enable its residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café.

For more information about Highmarket House, please call Home Manager, Alessandra Knaggs, on 01295 297 652 or email Alessandra.Knaggs@careuk.com.

For more general information, visit careuk.com/highmarket-house.