Last month, the Derby care team hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning. They invited customers and family members to the branch for a chat, coffee, and cake.
Branch Care Manager, Carey Bebbington tells us about the treats, customers, and what makes Helping Hands so special.
“We welcomed Mary, Val and Aunty Jill to our table, with several carers popping in and out throughout the morning. With yummy bakes and treats provided by our carers Alina, Kirsty, Rebecca and Jodie, we can honestly say there were enough bakes to cater to everyone’s tastes.
There were so many conversations throughout the morning; we heard Val’s story of meeting her husband at Rolls Royce, where every one of her family members worked. When Val left, she thanked us so much for having her and said it was such a lovely cause to be a part of, hoping we’d do another one soon as she really enjoyed it. Aunty Jill gave a stunning performance of singing Pavarotti for us. At 94, she has so many stories to tell, which left the room in awe. Jill mentioned that if she could describe Helping Hands in one word, she would call us ‘exceptional’, which was wonderful to hear. Jill also couldn’t fault our amazing carers as no one ever looks “glum” when they come to see her.
Our dear Mary was the first to respond to our invitation; Naomi and I were her regular carers at one point. Mary said that before Helping Hands came to support her, she would never have considered even coming to a coffee morning. Mary and I giggled as she was definitely the well-behaved person amongst us regarding self-control around all the cakes.
It’s days like these that make me so proud to be a part of Helping Hands and even more so of my wonderful carers who make it possible for customers to live independently at home. Not only did we manage to bring joy to our customers and carers, we successfully raised £75.25 for Macmillan Cancer Support.”
