Keighley nursing home invitation to pop in for cuppa and chat (From Keighley News)

Keighley nursing home invitation to pop in for cuppa and chat

12:00pm Monday 11th March 2013 in Keighley

Keighley nursing home staff are inviting people living in nearby houses to call in to get to know their residents.

Norwood House runs regular coffee mornings and recruits local volunteers as part of efforts to bring new faces in.

It also provides placements for students from schools, including nearby Holy Family, if they are interested in medical careers.

The latest students to take part in work experience at the home attend Ermysteds School in Skipton.

Each coffee morning features a talk, usually by a health professional, as well as a chance for people to chat together.

Baldev Chagger, Norwood House’s proprietor, said: “Because of where we are, the residents are not capable of going out so we try to bring the community in.

“We have people from the neighbourhood who join us. We get a house full every time – sometimes it’s difficult to accommodate everyone!”

The home has previously provided work experience for people from the Job Centre, with some going on to paid jobs at Norwood House.

Mr Chagger added: “We have students from schools who want to be doctors or go into the medical line. It helps with their CV if they have experience of working with older people.”

Norwood House in Greenthwaite Close, High Spring Gardens, has 31 residents, ranging from elderly people to adults with strokes, heart conditions and physical disabilities.

The home opened in the mid-1980s and has been run by Mr Chagger since 2006.

The next coffee morning will be from 10am on Wednesday and will feature a talk by Pastor George Jarvis, of the Airedale Church in Keighley, about his work in India.

Call (01535) 602137 for details.