carehome.co.uk director presents Care Home Idol winner with award

Davina Ludlow, director of carehome.co.uk, attended a Care Home Idol celebration party at Langley Haven care home in Slough, and presented the residents with their trophy and £500 for winning Care Home Idol 2014.

MP Fiona McTaggert was also at the event along with the Mayor of Slough plus relatives and friends of the residents.

Ms Ludlow presented the trophy, saying: “We were so fed up that everything in the media seemed to be negative about care homes. We decided to run the Care Home Idol competition to promote the good times that people have in care homes and to showcase the talent that so many of the residents have.

“We had so many entries and we were really happy that Langley Haven ended up being the clear winner.”

Renuka Dhalla, director of Haven Care Home Management, which runs Langley Haven, added: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award. We would like to thank Roxana, our activities coordinator for her enthusiasm and hard work in helping creating the entry for the competition.”

Jessica Riches, digital strategy consultant for Breezie, which sponsored the Care Home Idol competition, gave the residents a Breezie tablet, in recognition of their talent. Breezie works in partnership with care homes so that they are able to offer personalised devices with Internet access to residents.

Residents from Langley Haven Care Home, in Slough, Berkshire, managed to scoop first prize with their rendition of ‘Maybe it’s Because I am a Londoner’.

Yogesh Patel, operations director of the home called it “great news” and said: “We are obviously very happy for our team at Langley Haven who always go out of their way to ensure that the residents‘ lives are made as entertaining and active as possible. To win Care Home Idol 2014 against all the care homes in the UK is great news, and an honest reward for all their efforts.”

To view, Langley Haven care home’s video, go to www.carehome.co.uk/idol/idol.cfm/id/132

The runners-up in the annual competition run by carehome.co.uk, the leading online guide to care homes, were Ashley Gardens Care Centre in Maidstone, Forward Vision in Edinburgh and the Oldest Choir in the World from St John's House in York.

The contest is designed to showcase the talent and vibrancy that exists in care homes and challenge people’s preconceptions of residential care.

There are two categories in Care Home Idol, one for residents and staff and one for professional entertainers and the winners are decided by the public who vote online for their favourite act.

click here for more details or to contact Langley Haven Dementia Care Home