A small group from the club spent a practical evening making floral crackers for Christmas.
Pauline has a horticultural background, and has married this with providing stimulating activities in care homes that she designed whilst visiting her aunt with dementia. She and 2 other volunteers are part of a Community Interest Company called Hortic Therapy.
The idea is to provide enjoyable tasks that challenge fine motor skills, engage cognitive areas and bring horticulture indoors. Seasonal activities of planting and tending plants, such as herb troughs, bring out stories of rosemary and mint uses, and over time make those herbs available for cooking in the care home.
We struggled with folding our paper into concertinas, tying the ribbons and decorating the crackers, but had such fun doing it! The room was by turns quiet, from sheer concentration, and noisy, as we shared jokes about our creations. We all took home our individual efforts with pride.