Isobel Fraser Home
Newsletter - APRIL 2018
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A very warm welcome to our April Newsletter
Just when we all thought that Spring had sprung, it’s back out with the thermals, gloves and hats!
Enough now thank you very much! The poor bulbs don’t know whether to bloom or not!
What’s been happening in March
We have had our monthly visit from Denys McNair as he entertained us all on his fiddle. He tried out some new songs and it seemed to go down well.
We are also had our debut performance from new musical guests Gill & John from Drumnadrochit, who are Laura’s friends and are both very talented. John plays the guitar and Gill plays the banjo and sings beautifully. We had a lovely evening performance after dinner and everyone seemed to enjoy it very much. They will both be coming back this month to play for us again.
We have now fully commenced our trips to the Merkinch Community Centre for the Friendship Club Lunch each Wednesday and we always have a wonderful time, with delicious food and entertainment to follow. We have managed to take a few new residents with us to include, Cathie, Muriel and Robert. We had a lovely Easter lunch and we made Easter bonnets in the dining room which we wore and all looked absolutely fabulous!!!
We also took a trip to the Floral Hall with Vina, Agnes and Robert to have a look at all the lovely plants and had a lovely pot of tea and delicious homemade cake.
The activity girls have been working on preparing scrap books for each of our residents and have been getting lots of photographs from family members to put into them. This is a wonderful way for us to get to know you better, and we are working on updating them on a weekly basis so that family and friends can have a look at them and see what we have been getting up to. The books when completed will be kept in the bedrooms. We hope to identify activities that you might enjoy through this process, and we will do our best to introduce them.
What’s New for April?
We will be entertained by Denys McNair, our friendly fiddler, on the afternoon of Tuesday 3rd as he makes his monthly visit.
We have Gill and John from Drumnadrochit coming in on the afternoon of the 12th to perform for us again
We will be going to Merkinch Community Centre for lunch every Wednesday and will be taking as many residents as we are able.
The Seagull Trust boat trips will be starting up again soon and we are very keen to take as many residents out on the boat as possible, weather permitting.
Laura and Val will be encouraging movement and motion on a Monday morning as we will be having some gentle exercise in the lounge are for those residents who wish to and are able to participate. We will try some different things, to see what will be preferred and can take it from there.
Movie Monday will be continuing and I have attached a list of films, so make sure you don’t miss your favourite.
Crown Nursery will be coming in to visit us every fortnight as usual and this is always a fun and noisy morning, with lots of laughter and usually some signing.
There is an Activities board on the wall just outside the dining room which will be updated each week with a schedule of What’s On, so please have a look at it, as a gentle reminder.
We also have a wonderful photo board, with photographs of recent outings and events which is located just beside the large mirror in the hallway and gets updated every couple of weeks. Our current theme is Easter Madness!
Val has arranged a sing-a-long on a Friday afternoon in the Lounge which seems to be very popular so far and we will be singing along to a different singer each week so please let us know your favourites.
On Tuesday evening the 3rd of April there was an impromptus music session – our resident Tombo got out his mouth organ and provided a splendid selection of tunes. The lounge was in full swing as he attracted so many of the resident’s such an enjoyable evening.
A late addition to our programme for April, Abby from the Co-op in Church Street will join us on Tuesday 11th in the afternoon she has promised to bring something for afternoon tea! This is another part of us being their charity of the year.
Easter Celebrations
We had an Easter chick hunt for the Crown Nursery children in the lounge and they absolutely loved it. They were very excited as usual and each got a chocolate Easter egg to take home.
We made Easter bonnets in the dining room, which we wore to the Merkinch Community Centre Easter lunch, photos of which you can see on the photo board.
We might not have had an opportunity to roll our Easter eggs but that did not deter us from eating the chocolate ones! As a treat our Easter Sunday tea had the addition of small chocolate eggs along with other goodies. I did however notice that the majority of you had sampled the eggs prior to your meal!!
Unfortunately, we were unable to offer an Easter church service as our local ministers were unavoidably busy elsewhere in their parishes, due to the high demand at this time of year.
We have also added a Hidden Object Search so have a go and see how many you can get!
Church Services (Notice on the board)
Sunday 8th – Free North Church
Sunday 15th – Baptist Church
Sunday 22nd – Crown Church
Sunday 29th – Male Voice Choir
Meet the Board of Trustees – each week I will include some of our trustees.
David Henderson, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Born and educated in Inverness (Central and IRA schools), then studied economics at Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities. Lectured in economics and business studies at Heriot-Watt University before returning to Inverness to senior management at Highlands and Islands Enterprise. After retirement, undertook economic and business consultancy, then served as councillor on the Highland Council.
Married to Anna, with two adult children and six grandchildren. Sporting interests include tennis, hill-walking, skiing and rugby (supporting). Other activities are music (choral singing), bridge, local history and heritage preservation.
Appointed Chair of the Isobel Fraser Board of Trustees in 2016. His parents were both trustees in earlier times, and his father spent his later years here. His top priorities for the Board are always to maximise the wellbeing of residents, support our excellent staff team, sustain the successful management of the Home’s business, and uphold its strong reputation within the Inverness community
David GC MacKenzie (Property Group)
David was born in Inverness and received his schooling at Merkinch Primary, and Inverness Royal Academy, before studying Civil Engineering at the University of Glasgow. He has been a chartered civil engineer since 1979.
David is married, with two adult children, and has previously been secretary to the committees of Crown Community Association, Cameron Youth Club and the Highland & Islands Branch of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Robert McPhee - Treasurer
I’m native of Inverness and a Chartered Accountant. I spent my career, mainly overseas, in the construction and oil & gas sectors.
I have a close association with the home as my mother and aunt were former residents and since retiring I’m keen to use my skills and knowledge in helping to manage the finances of the home.
I work closely with Michelle our administrator in modernising our financial systems and in monthly reporting to the Board of Trustees.
Jim Harbison (Property Group)
My name is Jim Harbison and I am a retired Local Government Officer with expertise in planning and development. Although born in Glasgow, I have lived in Inverness for 35 years. My work with the Home relates mainly to the maintenance of the building fabric, ensuring that it is kept in good repair and meets all the necessary standards. Out with the Home I work with other charities, notably the Inverness Music Festival and the Northern Meeting Piping Competitions. In my spare time, I am a keen amateur photographer and play badminton regularly.