Member Article

Miss Chorley set to open indoor Christmas market

Chorley’s dementia friendly indoor Market Square is opening its doors to the public for one day only for a special Christmas market which will be opened by Miss Chorley.

The indoor Christmas market will be held at Market Square, The Lodge, a specialist dementia care home within the award winning Buckshaw Retirement Village. The event, which will include a range of market stalls from local traders, will be open to the public on Friday December 22, 10am – 2pm.

The Christmas market will be launched by Becky Lizz, the reigning Miss Chorley. Visitors will be able to purchase gifts and treats from a variety of stalls, including a food and beverage stall offering hotdogs and mulled wine, Christmas giftsand trinkets, perfume, homemade jam, crafts and a tombola.

There will also be a showing of the classic Christmas film Miracle On 34th Street in the specialist dementia friendly 20-seater cinema, and a chance to meet Santa in his Grotto.

The public are invited to visit the dementia friendly facilities within Market Square, which alongside the cinema also includes a pet shop, pub, café, hair and beauty salon, and a music relaxation lounge.

Chris Durnan, market square coordinator at The Lodge said: “The Christmas Market is a fantastic opportunity for the public to take advantage of our excellent facilities and to shop from some of the best local traders in Chorley.

“The shops, pub, café, salon and cinema in The Lodge’s Market Square are second to none, and will be open to the public on the day.

“Every facility within Market Square is hugely beneficial to our residents. They allow residents to maintain a level of independence by encouraging them to visit places that are familiar environments for them, so they can visit the pub, book a hair appointment and interact with animals at our pet shop and attend the market days.

“Our activities are always person-centred, and designed to meet the individual needs of the residents whilst maintaining their involvement in our community. These activities are incredibly important, as dementia can often make residents feel isolated. Our activities are designed to involve everyone, ensuring they have fun, but also providing them with activities that promote their physical and mental wellbeing.”

Miss Chorley 2017 winner Becky Lizz said: “I am really looking forward to opening the Christmas market within The Lodge at Buckshaw.

“The Market Square concept is fantastic as it provides residents at The Lodge who have dementia with a safe environment to visit, and allows them to continue the things they enjoy. I am delighted to be a part of the Christmas Market and to be raising awareness of how important and successful the Market Square is in helping older people maintain their independence and quality of life.”

Buckshaw is part of The Hica Group, a not for profit organisation, which operates a portfolio of 17 residential care homes, five of which are for people with a learning disability, along with two retirement villages. The company also runs a care at home service providing approximately 11,500 hours of support and care from four regional offices in the North of England.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Buckshaw Retirement Village .