Our residents all have wonderful stories to tell. As such, we ensure that we get to know every person when they move to Fairmile Grange Care Home. We find out about their likes and dislikes; their past and their present – building a complete picture of each individual and their life. This helps us to not only give the very best care, but also build a place that residents can truly call ‘home’. Somewhere they feel happy, comfortable, and well cared for.
As a result, it has been wonderful getting to know our lovely resident, Lesley, whose passion for singing started at a very young age…
The Voice
Lesley’s grandmother first noticed that Lesley had a beautiful voice when she was only five years old and she heard her singing along to the radio. Realising she enjoyed singing so much, Lesley’s parents arranged for her to have singing lessons during her childhood. One of Lesley’s teachers was so impressed by her talent that he gave her lessons for free!
At 18 years old, Lesley worked at Beales in Bournemouth and in 1959 she performed in a staff production called “Belles and Beaus”. Amazingly, our Wellbeing team found a cast photograph on the Bournemouth Echo website! They printed it off for Lesley as a surprise, which thrilled her as it brought back many happy memories.
Performing through the years…
Such was her love of music, Lesley has performed at many well-known local venues. They include The Regent, The Pavilion and the BIC (Bournemouth International Centre). She has taken part in numerous concerts and charity events over the years. Lesley was also a member of the Christchurch Variety Club.
Lesley is a Coloratura Soprano, which is the highest range of all sopranos and her favourite aria is “Caro nome” from “Rigoletto”. She has promised to sing for us one day at Fairmile Grange Care Home and we cannot wait!
At Encore Care Homes, we always actively encourage our residents to do the things that they love. If they are a keen gardeners, then residents can help tend to our raised flower beds. Perhaps they love to paint – if so, we ensure they have the art supplies they need. If they have a passion for cooking, our Wellbeing team will arrange culinary activities with the home’s professional chef. Our goal is to help residents to truly feel at home. We empower them to continue to do the things that they have always loved, or perhaps they used to love to do and would like to try again.
