Elmbridge Village
AUGUST 2010 UPDATE
Welcome
A warm welcome to our new residents:
Mrs Joan Midgley
Mrs Pat Bottom
Mrs Audrey Simpson
Summer colour
Elmbridge Village has been injected with a stunning array of colours this summer. More and more residents are showing off their green fingered skills and tending their little piece of the village, adding plants, watering pots and growing flowers.
They are certainly a welcome addition to the already beautiful grounds our maintenance team look after.
Shop revamp
Talking of colour – the village shop has been brightened up too. There are baskets of flowers and a large pot of shrubs at the entrance – a perfect welcome. And the yellow blinds at the windows provide some extra sunshine.
Record-breaking restaurant
Last month saw the restaurant serve a record 1,200 meals – that’s the highest number ever, and testament to not only the wonderful food available but the excellent service we receive.
JULY 2010 UPDATE
Allotment party
Our Elmbridge gardeners are set to celebrate the continuing success of the Allotments here at Elmbridge with a little party. Food and cakes – with fresh fruit picked from the allotments – will be served.
Nonogenarian
As the oldest Retirement Villages’ development in the group we have our share of older residents – and what a lively bunch they are! Phillip Gunstone did not let the fact he was celebrating his 90th birthday stop him from partying! Residents and family were invited to join him in the restaurant for a celebration.
JUNE 2010 UPDATE
Chinese theme
There’s been a Chinese theme to the activities at Elmbridge Village recently. The Chinese buffet evening was a huge success and very well attended. There was plenty of taste testing and fun to be had with chopsticks.
The most recent Luncheon Club followed a similar theme. The speaker was a lady who had spent time in China teaching English. She spoke of her life learning the culture and meeting the people.
MARCH 2010 UPDATE
Hello and goodbye
We are saying goodbye to our long serving village manager next week Sue Gibson. Sue is retiring after many years running Elmbridge village. We held our own goodbye for Sue a few weeks ago and she’ll be missed.
Stepping into Sue’s shoes is our new village manager Sharon Ivory who we are looking forward to getting to know over the coming weeks and months.
JANUARY 2010 UPDATE
Beating the freeze
Low temperatures and persistent snow came close to shutting us off from the outside world as 2010 began. Yet the friendly neighbour attitude, which is such a feature of our Village, made all the difference. We ran errands for each other and shared provisions from our kitchen cupboards.
Our thanks go to all those who worked hard to clear the footpaths; to Mandy and her team for catering beautifully for the extra customers in the restaurant and a special thank you to Kevin for opening the shop on extra days and bringing in additional quantities of the most essential goods on our behalf. A truly life saving effort
DECEMBER 2009 UPDATE
Christmas at Elmbridge
We started the Christmas/holiday season in grand style with our ‘Lighting of the Christmas Tree’ event. On the first Monday of December, our Choir performed a selection of Christmas tunes then lead the residents in the singing of traditional Christmas Carols.
Our choir director, Gillian Ramsden – a very talented lady – usually writes a poem; this year a humorous one about pantomimes. Then, after the countdown, our Christmas Tree lights were ceremoniously switched on. After that we celebrated with mince pies and mulled wine – a very festive afternoon.
We will have our usual Christmas Day lunch with a splendid selection to tickle the taste buds; then our hot/cold buffet will be on Sunday rather than Boxing Day. Now we are planning our New Year’s Eve party and plan to welcome in 2010 with great enthusiasm!
One of our residents enjoyed making this to brighten up the villages (click picture to enlarge). It's put a smile on a lot of people's faces this Christmas!
NOVEMBER 2009 UPDATE
Christmas card competition success
With Christmas fast approaching, we entered into the festive spirit, taking part in Retirement Villages’ ‘design a Christmas card’ competition – and won!
The grand winner was our very own Eileen Ward who receives a Christmas hamper to celebrate her success. Eileen’s highly commended winning design entitled ‘Glasses of Wine’ (click picture to enlarge) features on the front of the 2,000 Christmas cards available for Retirement Villages’ suppliers, residents, their families and friends.
OCTOBER 2009 UPDATE
Anyone for table tennis?
Our thanks to John Crossley who has been building up the table tennis group for the last five years. It’s an incredibly popular activitity…but there’s always space for new members.
Paint brushes at the ready
Geoff Biggs is inviting new comers to his Thursday art classes – with beginners welcome. You don’t have to be good – just keen!
Haunting Hallowe’en
Never ones to miss an opportunity to get dressed up, we’re holding a Hallowe’en hat competition. We’re expecting lots of ghostly entries to bewitch the neighbours!
The weekend will be rounded off with a musical treat courtesy of our resident violinist Mary Kennard and pianist Timothy Sidford.
Thank you very much
Kevin, the manager of our village shop, has said a big thank you to all the residents and staff for the generous sponsorship of his bike ride. With outside donations, he raised an impressive £1,321 Macmillan Cancer Support.
SEPTEMBER 2009 UPDATE
Farewell Nurse Sue
After more than 10 years service here at Elmbridge Village, our nurse Sue Upton is retiring.
We are so grateful to her for the years of commitment to her profession – and to us and wish her well in her retirement.
Tuning up
Our new digital piano is now installed in the hall – thank you so much to everyone who contributed towards the cost of it.
It is already being put to good use with the choir having resumed rehearsals after the summer break.
And in the spirit of recycling, our old piano has now found a new home at the Gosden House School in Bramley.
Knit one, purl one
The Elmbridge knitting group meets every Monday morning. Members knit for charity including local premature baby units, Mission to Seafarers and Christian Hope groups. Wool and needles can be supplied!
Summer Fete
The day before was sunny, the morning was sunny and the day after was sunny, but for two hours on Saturday afternoon the heavens opened just as we started our Summer Fete.
Despite soggy conditions which meant some events had to be cancelled or moved under cover, the event raised almost £1000 for local charities.
There was no welly tossing, no bowls competition but plentry of line dancing demonstrations, tombola, book and DVD sale, music from a band of folk musicians, an art raffle, produce and flower sale by the allotment team, guess the weight of the cake, and the grand raffle itself.
Over 100 people squeezed into the restaurant for afternoon tea, including our 40 guests from other retirement villages in the group.
Despite conditions, everyone was determined to have a good time – and they did just that – as the pictures show.
AUGUST 2009 UPDATE
Summer Fete
We are busy with last-minute arrangements for our summer fete. We have 46 visitors from some of our other villages - Castle, Cedars, Blagdon - coming along as well!
Lots of stalls, competitions and games including croquet, bowls and other competitions, lots of stalls and fun items such as wellie throwing, hook a duck, guess weight of cakes,and so on. There will also be a band and a roving magician.
High tea is being provided by our restaurant. It should be lots of fun and we will have plenty of pictures and stories to share in our next update.
JULY 2009 UPDATE
Sing-a-long with us
The strains of beautiful music can be heard echoing round our village every Monday. A choir of around 40 of
us meet up led by Gillian Ramsden – a former Royal Opera singer no less. We sing all sorts from show songs to special arrangements of Renaissance Madrigals. We perform regularly for our fellow villagers and also do Christmas and summer concerts for the wider community.
Make an appointment with croquet
All enthusiasts – beginners and the more experienced – are welcome to join us for a game of croquet on the lawn.
JUNE 2009 UPDATE
Hat’s off!
Elmbridge ladies are busy preparing for their contribution to ‘The Season’ - with the village’s Ascot Ladies’ Day hat competition fast approaching. We don’t have the horses or the tote but our ladies enter into the spirit of Ascot by decorating their own hats for judging.
After the winner’s announced there’s a celebration tea – which the men are allowed to join in.
Village diary – summer
- Monday – choir
- Tuesday – church service, line dancing
- Wednesday – whist drive
- Thursday – art class, scrabble
- Friday – table tennis, medau exercise