YEE-HAW! WILD WEST SHOW THRILLS CARE HOME RESIDENTS

Residents at a specialist dementia care home in Wellington, Somerset, have enjoyed an exciting day in the ‘Wild West,’ thanks to a western-themed experience day arranged by the home’s sharp-shootin’ activities team.

Activities co-ordinator Richard Dempslake and colleagues Kathy Burge, Amy Lemon and Sophie Carter, dressed up as a cowboy and cowgirls to put on a whip-cracking musical and comedy performance that had residents singing, dancing and chuckling at their jokes and puns.

Richard Dempslake said: “Our weeks of rehearsals paid off as our residents got up, danced and sang along.

“When we were planning the show we asked our ladies and gents to nominate their favourite country music songs, and we included as many of those as we could.

“Their requests ranged from Doris Day’s Deadwood Stage from the show Calamity Jane –aka ‘the whip-crack-away song’ – to John Denver’s Annie’s Song.”

Other popular country and western classics included in the programme were the Woolpacker’s Hillbilly Rock, Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus, Tell Me Ma by Sham Rock and another John Denver classic Take me home, country Roads as well as the popular Steps’ number 5,6,7,8.

The stetson-wearing performers’ specially-created line-dancing routines sparked great audience participation, with some people joining in simple steps on the dance floor and others copying the movements as chair exercises.

At the end of the show the team handed out milky bar treats as many of their residents had said they remembered the original ‘Milky Bar Kid’ adverts.

Camelot House and Lodge, run by award-winning care providers Camelot Care, provides a full and varied programme of activities for the residents it cares for who all live with memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language.