Christmas Message | Abbeyfield Newcastle

As this year draws to a close it is probably a good time to reflect on what has been a good year for our Society. We are in a good place financially and as we speak both homes are full with waiting lists which is encouraging.

However, we do need to be mindful of an ever-changing market place and our position within that market to ensure we are in position to respond. We are always looking at options for future developments so that we remain competitive and to further safeguard our future.

This year saw some great events at both homes and in particular the 25-year anniversary of Castle Farm with the opening of the excellent “new look garden” called the Renton Patio – in recognition of all the hard work from Simon Renton who was instrumental in its’ development.

Christmas has been celebrated already with a dinner at Castle Farm and a party at The Grove with a special visit from the man in the red suit. Everyone is now settling down for a peaceful festive period and a great New Year.

Sadly, we are having to say goodbye, or maybe cheerio, to Claire Murphy-Morgan, our Volunteer Coordinator. Claire is taking up a new role as Operations and Volunteer coordinator for the Comfrey Project in Gateshead. Claire (pictured above) has been with us for 2 years and has done an excellent job in both supporting our volunteers and our Activity coordinator. We all wish Claire all the very best in her new role – and she has promised not to be a stranger!

Can I at this point thank all of our hard-working staff and volunteers for a tremendous year. They make Abbeyfield what it is, and I am extremely grateful for all of their hard work and support, and immensely proud of their efforts.

And finally, the tree is up, lights are on, presents wrapped – all I need to do now is wish everyone a very happy Christmas time and a successful and peaceful New Year.

See you all next year!!

John

Hi Everyone,

It’s that time of year again, doesn’t time fly? So as we end 2017 I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone as we end the year in a positive way. However, this year is tinged with sadness as we have had to say our goodbyes to everyone at Linden Road, which closed its’ doors at the end of June. This decision was taken reluctantly but the legacy of Linden Road will make a positive contribution to our future.

Once again we find ourselves in a good position financially as we approach our year end, and it is once again a testament to everyone’s efforts that we can again be proud of our achievements this year thus far.

Our 5-year plan is continuing to move on at a nice pace and we are considering several new development options as we look to develop our business portfolio which will safeguard our future even further. There have been some delays with the developer at one site but we aim to clarify that position early in the New Year. We are also looking at our Investment options to underpin our position.

Despite a lot of pessimism in the National press about the “State of Care” in the UK, we have managed to maintain good occupancy levels throughout the majority of the year, and pride ourselves on our continued excellent levels of service to our residents. A fact borne out by both Castle Farm and the Grove maintaining their “Good” status after CQC visits earlier in the year.

We have made further positive steps forward this year with regards to Volunteers. We have appointed a new Activities Coordinator – Helen Angel – who has made a big impact with residents, volunteers and staff in creating an ongoing plan enabling our residents to have a very active and diverse program of events. This has enabled Claire – our Volunteer Coordinator – to focus on managing our volunteers in a more positive way and offering a greater level of support. Helen and Claire’s partnership is working well and we look forward to an interesting year next year. The Staff Liaison committee is continuing to develop and has been instrumental in installing a new staff contract across both homes, and assisted in the implementation of a new staff benefit scheme.

We appointed a new Trustee this year and are still actively looking to strengthen our Executive Committee so that we can meet the challenges ahead more effectively as we move forward.

As ever, I will not finish without thanking all our staff, volunteers and family members who once again have shown commitment, dedication and support to all our residents to ensure they continue to live in a safe, secure and happy environment. All of your involvement is greatly appreciated, as every day you enrich the lives of our most important people – our residents.

With your continued support and commitment, I am sure we will continue to prosper and grow

May we wish you all a Wonderful Christmas and a Prosperous and Peaceful New Year