Chingford care home open its doors for a merry good time

Snow is falling, children are playing – and a Chingford care home is opening its doors to help combat loneliness in the community this festive season.

On Saturday 9^th December, from 2.30-4.30pm, Care UK’s Ivy Grove, on Hatch Lane, is helping older members of the older community to get into the festive spirit by joining residents and team members for a Wizard of Oz pantomime.

Studies have shown that almost 1.5 million older people feel lonelier at Christmas than any other time of year*. To help tackle loneliness, Care UK has launched its Care to Share initiative, designed to support older people through the festive season.  

More than 100 Care UK homes nationwide will be taking part to give older members of the community a safe and sociable space where they can enjoy some festive fun and good company – whether it’s singing along to Christmas carols or watching a Christmas movie with a mince pie. 

At Ivy Grove, the team have been hard at work spreading Christmas cheer and is inviting older members of the community to click their heels and follow the team down the yellow brick road for an interactive rendition of the Wizard of Oz. The performance is set to be filled with great costumes, fun jokes and endless fun for guests. To make sure everyone will be in the Christmas spirit there will be plenty of mulled wine and mince pies to go around. 

Alessandra Knaggs, acting General Manager at Ivy Grove, said: “Here at Ivy Grove we’re passionate about playing an active role in our community, so we’re delighted to be opening our doors for our very own panto!

“We know December can be a difficult month for many, so this is a wonderful chance to bring people together to get into the Christmas spirit and a great opportunity for everyone to build new friendships – as well as reminisce over fond festive memories.  

“We’d like to invite our older neighbours to book their place at our special event – this is certainly an event yule not want to miss!”   

To find out more about Care UK’s Care to Share initiative, please visit: careuk.com/caretoshare  

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Ivy Grove incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building has been configured to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among residents.