Cakes and Entertainment Key to Happy Partnership

September 18, 2017

A very successful partnership has developed between us and pupils at Northease Manor School, Lewes.

Pupils from Northease Manor School, Lewes and  our residents have developed a special relationship over the past year that has involved a lot of baking, fundraising and entertainment.

Initially, the Year 10 Citizenship group invited speakers from Clifden House to explain to students what dementia feels like and following this the students became interested in doll therapy – as a way of helping dementia sufferers. The Northease students then began their campaign to raise money to buy the special empathy dolls and the links between the school and the home continued to grow.

On another visit to Clifden House dementia care centre, the pupils from the Year 10 Citizenship group helped residents bake a range of fantastic cup cakes. At another stage a group of Northease pupils also used their finely honed baking skills to hold a cake sale to raise money to buy therapy dolls for residents at the home. At the end of term, Clifden House residents travelled to the school to applaud the pupils’ end of year production of Beauty and the Beast.

Rowena Carr at Northease School said “It is such a great opportunity for our pupils to use their skills to help others. It is very evident that the residents at Clifden House enjoy the involvement of our pupils, and the pupils too feel a great sense of achievement in doing something very positive for the residents of the dementia care centre. It is a thoroughly mutually beneficial partnership and one we hope to continue. Our pupils will meet with the residents again to see how successful the doll therapy is. ”

Nial Joyce of Clifden House said: “The pupils from Northease school are such a pleasure to have. Our residents love having them here, their baking skills and general interaction with our residents is fantastic. The end of year production was the ‘icing on the cake’ with everyone in high spirits following the fantastic show! ”

The partnership between Northease School and Clifden house is part of a comprehensive activity calendar at the home to create an active and vibrant environment for everyone. Involvement of local pupils and local groups is often credited with helping residents stay connected with the wider community.

Northease Manor School specialises in providing education for students with wide-ranging individual needs.

Clifden House is one of the leading dementia care homes in the South East. It has an overall ‘good’ rating from the CQC.