In 2021 the Lifestyles Coordinations team was nominated for Caring UK’s “Activities Team of the Year” award. The ceremony took place at the Athena Hotel, Leicester, on Thursday 2nd December.
Since Castleford House was rated overall Outstanding by CQC in 2019, the Lifestyles team have gone from strength to strength. In 2019 they were shortlisted at the “Gloucestershire Meaningful Activity and Wellbeing” event for the “Community Involvement” award but did not win. In 2020 they were shortlisted at the National Activity Providers Association event for “Activities Team of the Year” but, again, did not win. The Caring UK awards are much bigger than both of those, but they did not want to make it third time unlucky.

To just be shortlisted for such a prestigious event is a testament to how incredible Amelia and Beth are at what they do. 2020/2021 was a phenomenal period for the team, seeing unbelievable success with things like “Cheesecake Tuesdays”, helping Michael make and sell tye-dye clothing, simulating a flight and a cruise, having parties with themes like “Willy Wonka”, “Disney”, Pirate”, “Las Vegas” and “Harry Potter”. The two crowning achievements for the team, though, in 2021 were:
• “Wet n Wild Waterslide” – surely no other care setting could arrange, on one of the hottest days of the year, for ANYONE, even those who need hoists to mobilise, to be able to go down a waterslide in the garden. This event gained attention from the BBC, including publicity on social media and a feature on local radio.
• “Inking and Drinking” – this event gained so much popularity that most of the country have heard about it by now and a lot of care settings have tried to imitate it. Such a simple idea, created by someone admiring Amelia’s tattoos, has been publicised by Age UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, BBC, the Daily Mail, the Metro, Real People and Chat.

Not only that, but a lot of families, loved ones and visitors had kindly submitted a lot of supporting statements as evidence for the nomination. The competition that Amelia and Beth faced was fierce, with each setting incredibly strong. To be identified as the “top seven” lifestyles/activities teams in the country is incredible, but to win would be indescribable.
Representing Castleford House at the awards was home management Ben Miller and Katherine King and, of course the “pink ladies” Amelia and Beth. It’s a national award, so the event itself was black tie complete with a reception and meal. The representatives were able to network with some incredible nominations for awards such as “Care Home of the Year”, “Management Team of the Year” and Best Innovation in Dementia Care”.

Unlike the Healthy Workplaces awards, the team had to wait until the ceremony to find out if they had won. There was a lot of pent-up emotion, with tension rising throughout the event as it took nearly three hours from start to the award winners being announced.
The shock and surprise when “Castleford House, Chepstow” was announced was overwhelming. In one evening, Castleford House has picked up two awards, this time a national one! Castleford House Lifestyles Coordinations team are the best activities team in the UK in 2021! On Thursday 2nd December Castleford House became a double award-winning nursing home! Congratulations Amelia and Beth, as much of a shock that it was, it is definitely well-deserved!