Local care home hosts poetry reading to celebrate the creativity of residents

Care home residents at Manley Court Bupa Care Home in New Cross recently hosted a poetry reading to celebrate poems they have written as part of an innovative creative programme.

The programme, entitled You Should Go to Everywhere, was delivered by Entelechy Arts Group and has seen Manley Court residents, the care home activities team, artists Zoë Gilmour and Charlene Low, and poet Annie Hayter, come together to create a moving poetry anthology.

The 25 poems focus on themes of friendship, love, and care home life, and were performed by residents at an exclusive poetry reading to relatives and friends. To add to the celebratory atmosphere, the reading also included live music from Nick Doyne-Ditmas, an afternoon tea featuring homemade cakes and scones, and lots of dancing.

Yvonne Oliver, a resident at Manley Court who wrote a poem entitled, ‘You should go to everywhere’, named in honour of the programme, commented: “The poetry reading was a really exciting opportunity to share all of our hard work. I was nervous to share my poem, but everyone loved it and it made me feel very proud.”

Theophilla Johnson, an Activities Co-ordinator at Manley Court who helped facilitate the poetry workshops, added: “It was fantastic to hear all the poems that our residents have worked on. From focusing on amazing small moments of connection to exploring big themes like love, the poems addressed all the life-affirming moments that as care home workers we get to see every day. I also loved that for our non-verbal residents, the Entelechy Arts Group team wrote poems inspired by their wonderful personalities, to make sure everyone felt involved.”

Rebecca Swift, Creative Director for Entelechy Arts, said: “Working with the residents and team at Manley Court Bupa Care Home has been fantastic – we have all enjoyed celebrating the creative value that is inherent in the interconnectivity between care and culture and have been blown away by the poems that have been created.”

Following the success of the poetry reading, the Manley Court team plan to print the poems on postcards to share with members of the local community.

To celebrate the creative residents even further, the team are also keen to share them on billboards across Lewisham, as part of Lewisham’s London Borough of Culture 2022 programme. The poetry programme is part of Manley Court’s wider multi-sensory programme that Entelechy Arts Group deliver.

Simon Andrews, Interim Deputy Manager at Manley Court, commented: “Our multi-sensory programme with Lewisham’s Entelechy Arts Group rekindles a wonderful creative relationship that was first established over fourteen years ago. Our residents get to enjoy a whole host of activities through the programme – from movement, to singing, to art – all within an inclusive and welcoming environment. We look forward to continuing to offer our residents such enriching opportunities.”