Edenmore Nursing Home Steps Back to 1940s

Edenmore Nursing Home recently celebrated VE Day in style with a lively 1940s themed party at the Ilfracombe Home. Held in one of the home’s dining rooms, the event welcomed all residents (referred to as family members) and their loved ones to drop in and enjoy the celebrations.

The morning was busy as the care team decorated the home, creating an atmosphere that transported everyone back to the 1940s. Meanwhile, the kitchen team was preparing traditional food and desserts, including homemade bread, spam sandwiches, scones, and a delicious high tea. In the afternoon, the music was switched to fit the 1940s theme, and the team donned their best costumes. There were even prizes for the best dressed male and female, which added a bit of extra fun to the celebrations!

As the day went on, the team, family members, and their guests fully embraced the themed atmosphere. Some family members were inspired to share stories from the past, reflecting on the importance of VE Day. The party also featured a female vocalist (drum roll, please...) performed by none other than DJ Jude! The war time music had everyone singing, dancing, and enjoying the energy of the day.

The 1940s themed party not only celebrated history but also provided a wonderful opportunity for families to come together, have fun, and make new memories in a caring and safe environment. Gayle Cooper, Manager of Edenmore, said: ‘We had so much fun commemorating this day with our family members and their guests, thank you to all who celebrated with us!’

Although Edenmore is home to people living with various types of Dementia, the team believes this should never stop anyone from living life to the fullest. With regularly planned activities and events like VE Day, the team strive to provide a high quality of life for their family members. This approach promotes dignity, respect, and empowerment, creating a culture of compassionate care.

For more about life at Edenmore Nursing Home, 

visit: www.edenmorenursinghome.com

Work/Life Balance: Evolve Care Group support Team Leaders Cricket Aspirations

At Heanton Nursing Home, part of the Evolve Care Group, team members are supported in pursuing their passions both inside and outside of the care home. Dinil Varghese, a Team Leader and avid cricketer, is a shining example of this support in action.

Dinil Varghese has been playing cricket for twenty years and is about to start his fourth at Braunton Cricket Club. "I am a bowler, but I really enjoy batting in the number 8 position" he shared. "Last year, our team became league champions and earned a promotion to a higher division. I am incredibly grateful for the sponsorship from Evolve Care Group this season to defend our title!"

In his two years working at the Barnstaple care home, he has progressed from a Care Assistant to Team Leader and now aspires to become a Care Practitioner. "Heanton has supported me hugely throughout my career, my colleagues, managers, and training leads have been so fantastic!" he added.

Heanton support not just personal development, but also the personal passions and well-being of their team. Whether it’s advancing in a care career or thriving on the cricket pitch, the team at Heanton believes that when individuals are supported holistically, everyone benefits — especially the people they care for. Dinil’s journey is just one of many inspiring stories that reflect the nurturing and empowering culture at Heanton Nursing Home. 

To find out more about Heanton Nursing Home visit: https://www.heantonnursinghome.com/

Polar icebergs and North Devon cliffs brought together in exhibition at The Burton at Bideford

Art inspired by warming polar extremes and the connections to North Devon landscapes is being explored in an exhibition by Royal Academician Emma Stibbon.

‘Melting Ice | Rising Tides’ at The Burton at Bideford features a series of monumental large-scale drawings and prints made in response to field trips to Svalbard in the High Arctic, and the Weddell Sea, Antarctica.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a new site-specific installation including a 5-metre wide drawing which directly responds to sites of erosion and rock falls in Bideford Bay. This will be presented alongside a body of drawings and prints exploring erosion on the North Devon coast, connecting the global and local impacts of climate change.

Included in the exhibition is a film which explores Emma’s research and creative process, featuring contributions from Andy Bell from the North Devon Biosphere, former Green Party leader and MP Caroline Lucas, and Dr Dylan Rood, a scientist directly studying coastal erosion rates in Bideford.

The exhibition is accompanied by a programme of events and a symposium on art and environment supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art Studies. Taking place on Friday 27 June, the event will bring together academics, scientists, artists and local environmental organisations to explore the role of art in climate discussions.

Emma’s work is provoked by the wonder and drama of nature but underpinned by contemporary anxieties about our precarious future. Often working on location in some of the world’s most isolated regions, she draws environments that are undergoing dynamic change, using the physical materials of sites such as earth pigments, carbon and sea water, including local pigment Bideford Black for this exhibition.

The Burton has launched a new limited edition print to support the exhibition. Atlantic Edge (2025) is part of Emma’s new body of drawings and site-specific work about erosion on the North Devon coast, and shows waves crashing onto the Hartland coastline. There are 50 works in the edition, priced at £390 (unframed). All profits from the sale of the prints will be used to support the work of the gallery, which is a registered charity.

Emma Stibbon says: ““Increasingly I believe art has an important role to play in the urgent debates of our time. As an artist I feel I'm a witness to what is happening in my lifetime, and the challenge for me is how to render it through my drawings. There is a tenderness to the human touch of drawing that really connects us, it has a directness that speaks in ways that hard science can't. Although scientific data clearly demonstrate the impact of dramatic increases in global warming, and we can see the effects of this for ourselves, perhaps the artist's more creative methods of communication can engage our emotions to provoke thought and even help to galvanise us into changing our behaviour.”

Harriet Cooper, Director of The Burton at Bideford, says:

“We are delighted to work with Emma Stibbon RA to bring ‘Melting Ice | Rising Tides’ to The Burton at Bideford, connecting global climate discussions to our local environment. The monumental changing landscapes of the polar regions can often seem far away, but Emma’s new body of work explores the impact of rising sea levels and erosion on the coastlines around Bideford Bay. This exhibition embodies The Burton’s mission to bring internationally renowned art and artists into conversation with the heritage, landscapes and communities of North Devon today.”

 

 

Rock Fall, Bideford Bay (2025) by Emma Stibbon. North Devon sourced pigment on paper and mixed media. Photograph by Jim Wileman. (Copyright All Rights Reserved)

The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with Towner Eastbourne and Cristea Roberts Gallery.

‘Melting Ice | Rising Tides’ runs from 10th May – 5th July 2025 at The Burton at Bideford, EX39 2QQ. Free entry. See www.theburton.org for more details on the exhibition and accompanying events.

 

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