Care home raises funds for Proud Melksham charity

BLENHEIM House Care Home in Melksham hosted a ‘fun-filled’ drag bingo night on Wednesday 18th January for residents, their family and friends as well as the local community to raise money for the Proud Melksham Charity.

A spokesperson said, “The sell-out event raised £130 for the charity Proud Melksham, which provides support, advice, resources and friendship to the LGBT+ community in Melksham. The charity was founded by Ryan Clarke, who also works on the events team at Blenheim House.

“The event was hosted by well-known Wiltshire drag queen, Miss Lucy Luscious Lips who hosted Melksham Pride in 2022 and is set to host it again on 24th June at the Melksham Assembly Hall, along with the Swindon and Salisbury Prides later this year.

“Those who attended the evening were treated to a wide variety of alcoholic beverages from red and white wine to beer and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as tea and coffee, and traditional pub snacks.

“The winners from the night received a variety of prizes. Those who successfully completed one line had a choice of prizes from rainbow umbrella hats to feather boas and Dame Edna glasses. For those who were lucky enough to get a full house, they could win a £25 M&S voucher, bottles of port or Prosecco, a box of chocolates, a voucher for two for a cream tea, or a £30 Amazon voucher.”

Resident of Blenheim House Jenny Tubbs said, “I really enjoyed it! It is the first time I have ever played bingo, let alone Drag Bingo! It was great fun and a wonderful evening.”

Events manager of Blenheim House Chris Preston said, “It was such a blast to have Miss Lucy come to our home to host a drag bingo night. The evening was full of laughter, and it was a joy to see our residents as well as their friends and family, take part and have fun.

“It was also wonderful to have the opportunity to raise much needed funds for a worthy cause, and we thank all of those who bought a ticket and made the night such a success.

“This event is just a small testament to our commitment to ensuring that our residents receive high-quality care that extends beyond essential nursing care. We believe that activities and events like these allow our residents to truly enjoy the full care package that the Berkley Care Group offers across its homes.”

Blue Light breakfasts

BLENHEIM House Care Home has also run its Blue Light Breakfast initiative for the second year in a row. The home delivered homemade breakfasts on Tuesday 20th December to key health and social care workers in the local area. The home is the only one in the local area to have taken part in the initiative.

The Blue Light Breakfast is a national initiative and is carried out to recognise the work that key actors in society do for their communities, from NHS and social care staff, to the armed forces.

The breakfasts this year were made by the catering team at Blenheim House and included a traditional bacon roll as well as a variety of hot drinks, from teas and coffees to hot chocolate.

There were also vegetarian and vegan options available. The breakfasts were delivered personally by Christopher Guest, Blenheim’s customer relations manager. Chris delivered the breakfasts to local GPs, district nurses, ambulance services and other healthcare organisations with whom the home has strong relationships with, and who serve the local community each day.

Among those who received breakfasts from Blenheim House were Gifford Surgery, Melksham Spa Surgery, Autonomy Care, The Melksham Older Person’s team as well as ambulance crews and pharmacy staff on duty during that day.

Commenting on the initiative, general manager of Blenheim House, Clare Hodges, said, “We’re so pleased we could bring this initiative back for the second year in a row. It was such a huge success last year that we just had to do it again.

“It’s a great way of giving back to the key health and social care workers in our area who do so much to protect our community and our residents day in, day out. We really hope those who received a breakfast enjoyed them and take it as just a small symbol of our gratitude for the work they do.”

Chris said, “The Blue Light Breakfast Initiative is something I really believe in and I’m so pleased that I have had the chance to play a part in it again this year.

“The nurses, GPs, paramedics, and other healthcare professionals who work so hard to look after our community certainly deserve a little treat every now and then. I’m delighted that we could provide them with one, especially at this time of year!”

Blenheim House is based in Shurnhold, Melksham and is part of Berkley Care Group.

Pictured above and left; the Blenheim bingo fundraising event