Residents and staff enjoyed a beach-themed afternoon at a care home in Crawley to mark the grand opening of a new wellness room.
‘Burleys Beach Retreat’ was unveiled at Burleys Wood, which will serve as a wellness room where residents will be able to relax and be pampered. Connected to the retreat is a new ocean-themed garden, complete with beach huts and a sailing dinghy planted with flowers.
Together they will provide a safe and welcoming space for relaxation and pampering as well as a private space for visiting doctors and nurses to speak to residents and relatives.
The new wellness room was funded by the ‘Friends of Burleys Wood’, alongside a grant from the Belron Ronnie Lubner Charitable Foundation. The Friends of Burleys Wood was started by Brian and Tina Baker, whose mother Jean Lehec was a long term resident of the home until she sadly passed away earlier this year. The couple have continued to provide welcome support to the home and were touched by the decision to name the sailing dinghy the “Lady Lehec”, in memory of Tina’s mother.
It was a jam-packed afternoon with everyone tucking into candy floss, ice-creams and fish and chips. Residents and staff were also offered entertainment from local singer, Kate Bassett - bringing back wonderful memories for many residents as they recalled trips to the seaside when they were younger.
Guests included chief financial officer for Shaw, Russell Brown, and chief operating officer, Mike Smith who both presented certificates of recognition to the staff and gifts as a ‘thank you’ following the impressive results of their ‘Quality of Life Audits’, which are carried out at the homes as part of Shaw’s internal inspection process.
Erika Szalacsi, manager at the home, said, ‘It was a wonderful afternoon enjoyed by both residents and staff - we certainly had the right weather for our event. We can’t thank ‘The Friends of Burleys Wood’ enough for their continued support here and now restrictions are easing we are looking forward to more events and welcoming more people to our lovely home. The team I have here are nothing short of amazing and have shown true commitment and dedication to providing first class care to our residents – I’m immensely proud.”
