Special Events

A fantastic day was held at our summer festival on Friday 26th July 2024, highlights included…

Live music from Bob Gessey, Steve Tams and Gemima & Billy – some amazing music to please a range of tastes and to provide a fab backdrop to the event.

There were ponies on site – care of Lollipop Ponies from Birmingham…a therapeutic and accessible intervention, they were tame and could be stroked and cuddled!

A Hoola Hoop demonstration and workshop was led by Wendy Martson from Sundorne Sports Centre – a great display of ability and ingenuity…they are amateurs who just really enjoy the sport and keeping fit in a fun way…lots of people had a go!

There were cakes of course provided by our great catering team and delicious ice creams from Dairy Dreams in Churchstoke – amazing!

For patients or staff needing some quite time, our Chaplain Wendy Webb had set up a wonderfully spiritual and calming space in our Oasis at Redwoods – with small candles, calming music, low lights and the offer of head massage and foot massage – plus a pair of new funky socks to take away at the end! She had a steady stream of clients…such a lovely offer to anyone needing some reflective time and space.

We had great support and help as always from our Facilities and Estates, Porters and Catering teams, plus our AHP’s and ward staff…. making it a fabulous afternoon for all!

Colour & Crescendo is a project which took place at St George’s hospital, Stafford and The Redwoods Centre, Shrewsbury during May to October 2021. The project involved two high quality musicians, Richard Taylor, piano/composition and Sarah Whittingham, violin, both from Manchester Camerata Orchestra. Richard and Sarah came into our mental health settings to perform lovely and uplifting music over the summer of 2021. Their music brought joy and re-connection to our inpatients and staff after months of very little creative arts being allowed in the wards.

Alongside the music we also engaged two other artists: Debbie Todd, visual arts and Jean Atkin, poet. They worked with our activity co-ordinators to invite inpatients to express themselves about the pandemic, the last 18 months. Using colour, text, line and graphics, inpatients and staff created a huge range of beautiful and meaningful artworks on postcards - expressions of how it felt, what had helped them through and what were they most looking forward to. 

During August and September 2021, Richard and Sarah took the postcards away to devise and create two new compositions, inspired by the imagery and text on the postcards as well as their own conversations and connection with the participants on the wards.

In early October, with the new pieces written and composed, Richard and Sarah returned to the hospital sites to perform their new music for the first time!  We have also collaborated with Junction 15 in Stoke on Trent to produce a video of the project.