Excelcare’s Chief Operating Officer, Sam Manning recently celebrated her birthday by giving gifts that would have a lasting impact.

Rather than being the one receiving gifts, Sam decided to celebrate her birthday by giving gifts to support teams and care homes across the group. Sam wanted her gifts to be experiences where people could create happy memories to cherish.

To do this, Sam asked each care home to come up with an idea for an activity or event that they could host in aid of her birthday. From welcoming entertainers to put on a show, to taking people out to a local attraction, Sam wanted to make sure each gift had substance to create conversation and happy memories.

Team members in each of our care homes shared the plans and announced Sam’s offer to buy them a birthday treat, consulting the people who live in their homes to get ideas of what they would like to do! This helped to ensure Sam’s gifts would be tailored to the likes of individuals and that they would be well enjoyed by all.

At Hunters Down Care Home in Huntingdon, the people living and working there decided to enjoy the summer weather and have a picnic by the river! Picnics were popular pastimes for many of the people who live there, and so this trip was also an opportunity for reminiscing and sharing fond memories with their friends.

On the day of the picnic, they travelled to Riverside Park, laid out some blankets and set up a picnic table complete with snacks and drinks! Choosing a spot close to the river meant people could watch the ducks swim by and throw in some sandwich crusts for them to enjoy. No picnic is complete without a sing-along, so the team played music under the summer sun and danced the day away.

At Park Avenue Care Home in London, after hearing about Sam’s birthday offer, they invited Lower Bush Alpacas to visit their home as the people who live there often talk fondly about animal experiences.

The team set up tables in the garden and supported people to have a seat outside ahead of the Alpaca’s arrival. Everyone enjoyed meeting them, learning about their species, and petting their soft fur. People were also given the opportunity to feed an Alpaca a carrot, which was a definite highlight for many of the people who took part. Before leaving, the Alpacas were taken around the care home to meet people spending time in communal areas and their bedrooms, which created some meaningful moments of connection!

This is just a couple of examples of activities and days out that took place in our care homes, but there were many more enjoyable events hosted across the Excelcare Family, including team-building activities arranged for support teams.

Sam’s selfless act of kindness on her birthday helped to create many happy memories and an occasion to share in celebration of her life milestone.