Sweet-toothed care home residents we’re treated to a tasty workshop.
Residents, staff, and family members, got together for a delicious workshop by Denbigh Chocolate Shop at Hillbury care home, which is part of Pendine Park care organisation.
Enthusiastic choccy fans crunched biscuits, and mixed them with Belgian chocolate and marshmallows to create yummy rocky road.
Hillbury resident John Molyneux, 70, got in on the action and had a great time at the choctastic demonstration.
He said: “It’s lovely and everybody is happy. I got involved in making the rocky road and it looks very tasty.”
Alan Hassall, 67, a resident at Bryn Bella at Pendine Park, had a blast at the chocolate workshop, even though he couldn’t actually eat any because he’s diabetic!
Alan said: “I’ve been mixing biscuits with the chocolate and putting in the marshmallows. I’ve enjoyed myself very much. I can’t actually try the try the rocky road though because I’m diabetic but I’ve still really enjoyed myself because it’s brought everyone together.
“I like taking part in activities here because it keeps you occupied. I do a lot of art here as well. The people here are really friendly.”
Denbigh Chocolate Shop Assistant Ceri Belshaw, 25, added: “We’re making rocky road and the residents getting involved and helping out.
“We’ve melted the chocolate, and we’re crunching the biscuits and mixing everything together with marshmallows. It’s great fun. You can’t go wrong with chocolate. “
The chocolate workshop was the brainchild of Anita Moran, an Activities and Well-being Coordinator at Pendine Park.
She said: “I was looking for something different and something new. Everybody loves chocolate. You can see that that the residents are really paying attention. When I told them we were going to be having a chocolate workshop everyone started licking their lips.
“We’ve got family members here as well and they’re really enjoying themselves and the residents are getting into it and taking part.
“One of the demonstrators has a background in care and that really shows.
“The demonstration is interesting, everyone is laughing and joking – it’s brilliant.
“The girls who are doing it are really great with the residents.
“I think I’m going to have to take a trip to Denbigh just to go to the Chocolate Shop.
“I love any chocolate with nuts in. that was my mums favourite as well so I think that has been passed on.
“I’m looking forward to trying the rocky road. The residents don’t have to just watch the demonstration. They have the option to take part and a lot of them are taking part and helping to make the rocky road as well.
“This is the first time we’ve done this but it’s gone so well that I definitely think we’ll be doing it again. It’s not just about the chocolate but the social aspect because it’s bringing everyone together which is really nice.
“At Pendine Park we want to give the residents as many choices as possible because that’s a normal part of life. People who live in a care home should be able to do things like this as well.
“It’s part of our enrichment programme here at Pendine Park. We put on all sorts of classes for the residents, like art classes and poetry classes. We even have the world-class Halle orchestra coming down here on a regular basis to do music workshops with the residents!”