Rodeo on down to the Ranch
Early in July, Abbi, Team Leader at Gretton House in Northamptonshire, organised an American themed Ranch Day delighting the people who are supported by the specialist residential Prader-Willi Syndrome service.
Abbi and her colleagues in the support team involved everyone, supporting them to get into the spirit of the event by choosing their fancy dress, which ranged from cowgirls and boys to Navaho Indians and frogs. Activities included line dancing, photo shoots using the many props that had been created and combined and generally having a fun time.
Calming things down a little everyone then enjoyed an American style dinner, followed by a range of animals coming to Gretton for all to hold, pet and learn about. The animals were brought to visit by a group called Farms2ewe and the team were very appreciative of just what a great experience they provided.
Commenting on the event, Judith Dillion said, “The day was really good, I loved all the animals especially holding the rabbits” and Kim Taylor stated, “I loved the up close and personal time with all the animals, I found it very therapeutic and relaxing, the whole day was fun, and the food and decorations were lovely.”
Themed meals and events are very popular at Gretton House and are part of an open planning process between the people supported and colleagues. Through several forums and workshops everyone shares what they would like to achieve, enjoy and share throughout the year. These goals are all then clearly articulated and documented in each supported person’s person-centred plan.
From this starting point together, they chose a varied amount of themed/cultural meals from across the globe including so far; Chinese, Irish, Caribbean and American.
Due to the many shared common interests amongst the individuals supported at Gretton House it is possible to organise bigger events that meet and combine several people’s preferences. Their love of animals offered a fantastic opportunity to engage with a group that could allow individuals the opportunity to interact with animals on a much more personal basis, which made for a very special occasion indeed.