A pop up pub is doing a roaring trade at a care home.<\/p>\n
The residents of Pendine Park\u2019s Hillbury home in Wrexham love the atmosphere and can play dominoes, cards, bingo, take part in a pub quiz or have a dance as well as enjoying a drink.<\/p>\n
The Hillbury Arms serves two beers, Pobli Bobli which is a light summer ale and Pobli Wobli, a darker, more traditional bitter, which have been brewed for Pendine by Bragdy Dinbych (Denbigh Brewery).<\/p>\n
With care staff behind the bar, residents can also sample a non-alcoholic cocktail or a range of other soft drinks.<\/p>\n
In many ways it\u2019s the perfect local because all the drinks are on the house.<\/p>\n
Before last orders was called for the day, 85-year-old resident Peter Hodder was able to savour a glass of wine as he enjoyed the venue’s relaxing ambience.<\/p>\n
“I like the fact I can sit here and have a drink. It’s nice to be in the pub,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There’s a good atmosphere. It’s nice that they do things like this.<\/p>\n
“I am enjoying it. I like it when they turn it into a pub.”<\/p>\n
While Peter was content to sit and soak up the atmosphere, another resident was strutting her stuff on the dancefloor.<\/p>\n
Ann Ashfield, 77, danced away to old jukebox favourites such as Rock Around the Clock<\/em>.<\/p>\n “I enjoy dancing and it’s nice to be able to dance here,” she said.<\/p>\n “I like living at Hillbury and getting to do things like this.”<\/p>\n Their fellow residents enjoyed chatting to each other, playing games and singing to the music.<\/p>\n Hillbury House, which caters for old people and those affected by varying stages of dementia, regularly stages activities to enrich the lives of residents and help stimulate the mind.<\/p>\n It is hoped that the pop-up pub will help stimulate recollections of happy family occasions at pubs for residents.<\/p>\n Hillbury manager Cindy Clutton said: “We are trying to make the experience of going to the pub to be similar to what our residents will have enjoyed in their lives.<\/p>\n “People may think that if you are in a care home you are going to be sitting there doing nothing all day.<\/p>\n “But the residents actually get to take part in a lot of different activities here.<\/p>\n “It is nice to see how much our residents enjoy going to the pub, as they interact with each other.”<\/p>\n “It is amazing how doing something like this lifts both the residents and the staff,” she said.<\/p>\n One of the staff members engaging with the residents and serving them drinks was care practitioner Louise Parry.<\/p>\n She said: “We enjoy having the pop-up pub here and to see how much it means to the residents.<\/p>\n “They are clearly enjoying themselves.<\/p>\n “It is nice that they can have a drink, dance to the music and play dominoes.<\/p>\n “We are happy to do whatever we can to make it special for them.”<\/p>\n