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Ashley Cooper House resident Matthew Pritt
Staff and residents from Sanctuary Care homes for adults with learning and physical disabilities enjoyed fun and games at their own mini Olympics.
Each of the homes involved in Thursday’s event, which took place at The Old Grove, High Pitfold, Hindhead, Surrey, was allocated a country to represent. Staff and residents spent months carefully researching their individual countries, including history, culture, religion, food and dress.
The event was organised by SHIRE – Sanctuary Helping Involve Residents Equally. The group is made up of residents, carers and other staff and is dedicated to giving a voice to residents with learning and physical disabilities.
The day started with a spectacular opening parade, followed by games for the disabled and able bodied, including bean bag shot putting, foam javelin and tennis.
Each home was judged on the sporting prowess of its residents and staff and the effort that was put into research.
There was also an awards ceremony, with trophies and medals presented to the winners.
The winning home, which represented Japan, was Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, a scheme for 10 adults with learning disabilities. The residents wore traditional dress and carried handmade Japanese fans. They also wore Olympic-themed t-shirts with their names printed in English and Japanese and carried a giant cardboard dragon and a banner with the national anthem printed in both languages.
Manager Lesley Senior, who along with her deputy Tammie Clark dressed as a sumo wrestler, said: “All the residents had great fun preparing for the event and had a wonderful time on the day. They are so proud to have won.”
Pat Ranson, service manager for Sanctuary Care said: “This was a truly fantastic event! Each home was really geared up for it and I am amazed at the effort that was put in – it’s just incredible. The costumes were absolutely stunning!”
The other homes involved were Tony Long House in Wiltshire, John Kirk House and Ashley Cooper House in London, Shaftesbury Court in Wiltshire, Shaftesbury Place in Cheltenham, Park Road in Kent and Tilmore Gardens in Petersfield, Hampshire.
