Christmas comes to Parkview

WITH the days left for Christmas shopping rapidly receding, residents at Parkview House Nursing Home in Castlederg were recently able to get any last-minute bargains, as well as some Christmas cheer, thanks to an innovative in-house festive market.

In non-Covid circumstances, the residents would have been taking a yuletide sojourn to Foyleside in search of that perfect present, but with cases on the rise it was decided that was a risk not worth taking. Thus activities manager Cathy Maxwell and home manager Davinia McCallister decided to bring the shopping to the residents.

Home manager Davinia explained, “It was just too risky to take any of the residents out with the pandemic still going on and covid cases going up. At least this way we were able to keep everyone safe and this was the best way of doing it. We have a few residents who have been with us for a while now and would have been looking forward to their annual trip, but it wasn’t to be this year.”

With the trip cancelled it was arranged for two local businesses, Bradley’s Chemists and Dinny McCrory’s newsagents, to take the shopping experience to the customer so, on the first of December, tables were erected, decorations were hung, and Christmas music filled the air for a good day’s craic. Davinia remarked that the residents really loved the day.

“The residents were buzzing, God love them,” she said. “The local chemist and newsagents always support us, and It was brilliant to see them have a fun time and not miss out on the fun of their shopping trip. We tried to think creatively to make it special for them.”