Baily House

Today we are celebrating a very special birthday here at Baily House….. Our Own! Baily House is 3 years old today!! What a whirlwind 3 years it has been.

We have seen many residents come and go (and come back again), and we have played host to a number of fabulous events, training sessions, and activities. We really feel part of the Mansfield community, and we are so lucky to have the support of so many local people. We are looking forward to the next 3 years, and the changes that they will bring, as we continue to provide care for the whole person.

Today is also a special birthday for our lovely friend Harry Jackson who is celebrating his 99th birthday with his family! Your friend Les wishes you many happy returns (but wouldn’t smile for the occasion)

This afternoon we held our annual Summer Fair at Baily House, and we had a fantastic afternoon. The sun came out which meant that we were able to set up most of our stalls and activities outside in the garden area and enjoy the summer warmth!

From crafts stalls to cake stalls, bottle tombolas to raffles, there was plenty available for visitors to browse and buy, with a lot of happy faces when their ticket was read out. We were also delighted to have our friendly burger van set up in the car park offering a lovely lunch to all of those that attended.

In total we raised an amazing £631.40 which will be put back into our residents fund and will be put towards activities, day trips, equipment and entertainers for all of the residents at Baily House. We couldn’t have done it without the support of our wonderful staff, volunteers, families and friends and our amazing residents! Thank you to everyone who was involved and supported us, and we will see you in November for our next fayre!

Last week here at Baily House we held our first ever ‘In loving memory…’ service. It was an opportunity to celebrate and remember the lives of our residents who over the previous 12 months had sadly passed away. Invitations were sent and families came together, though difficult for some, to light a candle ‘In loving memory…..’.

While there were a few tears, there was also much laughter and chatter as those who attended the service did some catching up as they spoke with some of our other residents, the staff and other relatives. It was a warm and friendly afternoon where all that once was, was remembered with fondness and love. Where memories permeated the hearts and minds of all those who joined the service.

Residents come and sadly they go, but they are not forgotten. This short service was a simple yet sincere reminder that the care we offer continues and extends beyond the death of a loved one.

Wow!! What a day! Today we held our very first ‘Cuddle, Cake and a bit of a break’ where we encouraged parents to come to Baily House with their babies and toddlers, and introduce them to our Residents in exchange for cake, coffee and a chance to relax with other parents.

The idea came from seeing our staff bringing their children in, and how excited the Residents got. It was a great way of giving the babies a chance to socialise, and also the chance for the Residents to showcase their parental talents.

After advertising the event on  Facebook, we went ‘Viral’, and by the time the day came for the first event, our post had been seen by over 75,000 people (some of whom lived in New Zealand!!). We were joined on the day by not only a beautiful group of 17 babies and their parents, but also ‘The Chad’, Mansfield’s local newspaper, and GEM 106, one of the largest radio stations in the East Midlands.

Our event was such a huge success that we will be running these sessions on a regular basis. Make sure you like us on Facebook to keep up to date with our events and dates.

 

As you might be aware, Baily House entered the Great British Care awards last year, a national competition which highlights outstanding care. We had 11 finalists out of over 2000 nominations in the regional finals! The event was held at ‘The Belfry’ in Nottingham, where our finalists enjoyed a 3 course meal, followed by an academy awards style ceremony. We are pleased to announce that we had 3 winners who received a trophy and a certificate, and progressed onto the National Finals!

Registered Manager Award – Rachel Squire

Care Employer Award – Woodleigh Care

Care Team Award – Baily House

Following our success at the Regional finals, we were honoured and excited to attend our second national final in 2 years! The event was held in Birmingham and was a celebration of the UK’s greatest achievements in care in the last year. The organisers put on a fantastic evening and the awards ceremony was hosted by none other than Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet and TV’s Eastenders.

Martin spent the evening visiting the finalists and posing for photos, before stepping into his role to present the awards. The amount of talent and dedication in the room was amazing to see, and every person and team that were nominated were worthy of the award. Unfortunately our 3 finalists were pipped to the post by some incredible candidates.

However we didn’t leave empty handed. Unbeknownst to him, one of our volunteers and close friends Reverend Bob Jones, was nominated for the unpaid carer award. He had been invited as a special guest, and thought the he was there to enjoy the evening. Little did he know that he was really there to receive an award for all of the dedication and care that he gives to his wife.  Needless to say Bob was speechless and we couldn’t be prouder to be able to call him our friend!

Congratulations Bob and Joan!

The photos of the evening are available to view online now here on the Great British Care Awards website.