Whittle Hall raises £1k for garden bar residents can enjoy

Chloe Sturgess and Sarah Hamilton, wellbeing leaders at Whittle Hall Care Home in Great Sankey, organised the event which spanned over two days, with the goal of raising enough money to build and open the bar in time to celebrate the care home’s fifth birthday.

Not one acrylic nail was left in sight as the pair rolled up their sleeves and got to work washing cars, managing to raise a fantastic total of more than £500.

Chloe spoke of her delight at how successful the event was in raising money for the care homes garden feature named the ‘forget me not’ bar.

She said: “I was overwhelmed by how much support from staff and family members we had on the days of the car wash. Everyone had so much love and positivity for us to do well and achieve our goal in getting the garden bar. We absolutely loved creating the bar, and it looks amazing. We cannot wait to plan all of our seasonal activities for our residents to enjoy the ‘Forget Me Not’ bar. We are already thinking about our next big event.”

Jeanne Davies, managing director of L&M Healthcare who own Whittle Hall, heard about the event and promised to match every pound raised which brought the grand total up to more than £1000.

Speaking of her pride for the hard-working staff at the care home, Jeanne said: “The girls worked so hard for this, and it is truly commendable. I’m very proud of what they achieved. Not only did they raise enough money to buy it, but they also had enough to install it, paint it, and fully stock it in time to celebrate Whittle Hall’s Fifth Birthday.”

She added: “I absolutely love to see an idea become a reality and the girls have not only made this a reality they showed enterprise in doing it which is just marvellous. I was more than happy to put my hand in my pocket.”Care workers washing cars to raise money (Image: Louise Muir)

The staff and residents celebrated the bar opening with a Mexican themed Fiesta last Saturday, August 20, complete with live DJ, themed cocktails, decorated cupcakes, a photo booth, a pinata and plenty of sombreros.

The care home, regularly praised for ‘going the extra mile’ for its residents, first opened in August 2017 and specialises in care for dementia patients.

The staff detailed how the bar was given its unique name as a nod to the ‘forget me not’ flowers which are a symbol of dementia and also an ‘integral’ part of the L&M healthcare logo.

Home manager, Deborah Payne, said: “The wellbeing team have done an amazing job in making this happen. The bar has become the central focus to our garden area and I’m sure it will get a lot of use. Everyone at Whittle Hall works so hard to make days like these special for our residents! And the girls raising the money to make this happen has just been incredible. We have a wonderful team here who have all played a part in us making this five-year milestone and will always go above and beyond to deliver loving care for our residents.”

Whittle Hall celebrated 5 years this August (Image: Louise Muir)