Whilst we, as a society, continue to come to terms with the new challenges brought about by Covid19, it is important to find reason for joy and hope in each day. For this reason, we are taking you all back to an incredible Big Draw event that took place in October of last year at Sherwood Grange care home - it is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face. 

Please note: all Big Draw events with CareUK stated in this article took place in October 2019, prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. These group events are not taking place under the current circumstances, and CareUK are taking every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of their residents and employees.

This article was written in December 2019 by Matilda Barratt after her visit to Sherwood Grange to meet the people who coordinated a rather extraordinary Big Draw event within the care home...

As part of The Big Draw Festival 2019 ‘Drawn To Life: Creativity & Wellbeing’, the UK's largest independent provider of health and social care, Care UK, joined us in championing the importance of creativity. Throughout October 2019, more than half of Care UK’s 120 homes teamed up with schools, nurseries and groups of young people to work with residents to get their creative skills down to a fine art...

Activities encouraged participants to explore their creative side and the therapeutic benefits of drawing. Residents' families, friends and local school children were invited to draw, craft and create together as part of their nationwide #DrawnToLife activities.

Woodland Hall, in Stanmore, and Buchanan Court, in Harrow, worked alongside local schools to create ‘communication cards’ for residents living with dementia, featuring emotions, wishes and life stories. Winchcombe Place, in Newbury, welcomed a nursery and local artist for a special workshop, while Silversprings, in Colchester, received some special help from nursery children and visitors to create a timeline of residents’ lives.

Towards the end of the Festival month Sherwood Grange, in South West London, went the ‘full monty’ with their Big Draw event, inviting a model to take part in a nude life drawing class at the care home! 

The Big Draw Director, Kate Mason, was able to attend the event and said:

“It was such a pleasure to visit Sherwood Grange in person. A truly life-affirming and uplifting experience where the commitment from all involved - and quality of artwork produced - was a delight to see. It was also wonderful to chat with some of the artist residents and hear a little about their own stories and adventures.”

After hearing such wonderful feedback from Kate, it’s easy to imagine how much I was looking forward to visiting Sherwood myself.

It was a characteristically bright yet chilly November morning when I set off on my journey down to Kingston Vale to meet Rick and Kimberley. From the outside, the care home - which was recently rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - appears homelike and welcoming.

I stopped for a moment to take it in before scampering inside to escape the cold. I was immediately greeted by warmth, smiling faces and offers of tea and biscuits. Whilst peeling off my coat and scarf, my eyes were drawn to a delightful, festive display of tinsel, lights and baubles, and the sound of Toto’s Africa playing on the overhead speakers. Upon further inspection I was surprised to find not only an in-house coffee shop, but a cinema and a hair salon! Having arrived early, I took a seat in the cafe and enjoyed the view out into the garden; a garden in which, I was delighted to later find out, residents are able to grow their own vegetables and flowers. Residents laughed and chatted around me, there was a general buzz about the place.

Kimberley Atkin is one of Sherwood Grange’s Lifestyle coordinators. Dressed in an exquisite array of colours, she came over to introduce herself. Joining me at my table in the cafe, she began telling me a bit about the care home and, in particular, the exceptionally varied programme of activities that are organised for residents on a daily basis. With a background in retail and fashion, Kimberley brings her creative thinking and sense of fun directly into her role at Sherwood - and this is evident within moments of meeting her. I am presented with a folder full to the brim with upcoming events, plans and outings. In awe, I watch as she enthusiastically takes me through page after page, stopping occasionally to elaborate on some of her favourites. “Have you ever heard of a ‘flash mob’?” Kimberley asked. I told her that I had, feeling initially perplexed by what seemed like a slightly random digression. “Well - we’ve linked up with the Kingston University ‘PACE’ [Performance Art Community Engagement] programme, and some of our residents will be taking part in a ‘Surprise Dance’ flash mob at Bentalls shopping centre in Kingston next week!”

I was speechless. Residents of a care home taking part in a flash mob? That is hardly something you’d expect to hear every day. But it’s not such an alien concept for the residents and staff at Sherwood, Kimberley explains. If there is a way to do something, they will do it.

I was then told of a moment earlier in the year when residents had been brainstorming New Year’s resolutions; Kimberley recalled a voice piping up: “I think I would like to do a parachute jump out of a plane”. The voice was that of Mollie, a resident at Sherwood Grange. Mollie and her daughter, alongside some of the team at Sherwood Grange, proceeded to discuss this for a while before settling on the idea of going up in a helicopter - they agreed that this seemed a sensible first step!

Already I could see that this is not your average care home. In fact, Sherwood feels to be the sort of place that makes you reevaluate the process of ageing entirely. Of course, there can be a stereotype around what life in a care home is like. Kimberley picked up on this particular issue, telling me, "many people think that once you've moved into a care home, your life is kind of 'over'... really, a whole new wonderful chapter of your life is just about to start!"

“Many people think that once you’ve moved into a care home, your life is kind of ‘over’... really, a whole new wonderful chapter of your life is just about to start!”

On this note, Kimberley and I made our way to meet Rick - the Home Manager - in his office. It was wonderful to watch as both Kimberley and Rick spoke so passionately about their roles and their relationships with the residents of Sherwood. “We treat everyone like family, not patients,” Rick tells me. “Definitely,” Kimberley went on, “ and as with family, when they are given the daily timetable listing the activities we discuss the events and they make their own decisions about what they would like to attend. This is their home”. It was explained to me that, unlike what some might expect of life in a care home, there is a huge amount of freedom. “Just the other day, I had to make a quick trip to Tesco. One of our residents - who is in her 90s - felt like getting outside, so she decided to join me on the bus.”

I was intrigued to find out more about the lifestyle that the residents lead at Sherwood Grange. “It’s funny - a daughter of one of the residents told me that she always makes sure to call the care home before coming over to double check that her mum is in,” Kimberley laughed, “she says her mum has a better social life than her!” This is clearly a running theme at Sherwood Grange - just recently, Kimberley wrote on their Facebook page about a pub trip in which one of the residents, Peggy, had commented on her own social life, saying, “do you know, the first time I came to Sherwood Grange my son came to visit and was so surprised when I said I couldn’t see him as I was going to the pub!”

Before my visit I had been aware that the team at Sherwood provide specialist care for people living with dementia; their CQC report highlights how they take acceptable risks and provide a dementia friendly atmosphere so that residents can make their own decisions and try things for themselves. I was keen to ask Rick a little more about this. "People sometimes think that those living with dementia are no longer really ‘with it’ - but this couldn’t be further from the truth,” Rick told me. “This is a fun and energised place… it’s just about living.” And, do you notice a particularly transformative effect when people living with dementia are engaging in creative activities? I asked. “Absolutely. It is incredible watching as somebody who can be quite distracted suddenly focuses and engages.”

“This is a fun and energised place… it’s just about living.”

Now I was desperate to hear a little more about The Big Draw event from the organisers themselves! Whilst it’s clear that the team at Sherwood are not unfamiliar with running exciting and often outlandish activities, I imagine that hosting a nude life drawing class was still quite a big step? “We were a little nervous about what the atmosphere would be like,” Kimberley laughed, “we’ve done life drawing classes before, but they had never had a fully naked model before.” And what was it like? “It was incredibly positive.”

Prior to the event, residents were asked what kind of model they would like, and almost unanimously landed on a ‘nice handsome man’. A professional model was employed for the afternoon, alongside a professional artist named Robin Rutherford who provided expert tuition throughout the life drawing session. Of course, a glass of sparkling wine helped add to the sense of occasion! Everyone who took part were full of praise for the event; Barry Summers said: “I don’t think anybody entering a care home anticipates doing a life drawing class but it was a good atmosphere and the group weren’t too distracted by a male nude. They took it seriously with a good heart and lots of joviality. I found it gave me the ammunition to let my mind go free and create.”

"I found it gave me the ammunition to let my mind go free and create."

Marion Nevil, another resident at Sherwood Grange, said: “I always loved art at school, and when I left at age 16 to go into pre-student nursing I didn’t have much time because of the long hours, but I tried to keep my hand in… I was very proud of my drawing as I find the human body a challenge, so this opportunity was a great experience for me.”

On the day, Rick had commented saying: "Life in our care home is all about helping people to enjoy more independent and fulfilling lives - and today that meant expanding people's experiences and doing something out of the ordinary."

Visiting Sherwood Grange and speaking with the people who are so instrumental in enhancing the lives of Sherwood’s residents was a truly life affirming experience. There is no reason why age should keep us from having fun and engaging in activities that excite us, surprise us, inspire us and help us grow; and this is really the mindset that the people of Sherwood - and all CareUK care homes - encourage and actively advocate. As Rick said, it’s just about living.

Were you inspired by Sherwood Grange's Big Draw event? Registrations are now open for The Big Draw Festival 2020: A Climate of Change! Find out more about the benefits of becoming an organiser here and other ways to support The Big Draw's mission here.