by Tess Marshall, MacIntyre
Last week I played roving reporter and spent the day in Chesterfield, catching up with all the activity at our three learning centres.
Talent Contest at Queen’s Park
And what a day it was! First up was an incredible talent contest with some amazing acts.
There was line-dancing and singing, with everyone having a great time performing in the beautiful garden at Queen’s Park. The winner was Amy, a fantastic singer, but what a difficult job the judges had to pick.
The rain held off for us until we started on the chicken baps, so we scooped up the food and everyone ran indoors to finish our picnic there.
The next big event at Queen’s Park is their Summer Fayre on 27 July. It’s going to be fantastic!
Keeping fit at Old Whittington
My next stop was Old Whittington Memorial Hall. This is the venue for our monthly Community Roast (well actually a community salad last time as it was so hot!).
But it’s also home to a weekly exercise class, run superbly well by two local karate experts. I joined in with people who attend the centre and with staff members, going through a series of stretches designed to work for people of all levels of ability. With a bit of encouragement, I even had the chance to do a set of simple karate moves designed to aid flexibility and coordination. (Let’s just say that a lot of people did better than me!)
Lots of plans at Holmewood
My final stop was at Holmewood, where the Talent Contest party from earlier was continuing with a couple of the contestants dueting on the karaoke.
Holmewood is a bit like the Tardis – you go through an unassuming entrance past the office then into a massive hall with a huge kitchen and many fantastic resources. Outside there’s a beautifully planted garden for everyone to enjoy.
I particularly admired their activity board, full of inspiring plans for the rest of the year.
All three places are so impressive in everything they do - everyone really does go above and beyond. I drove back in the pouring rain, singing out loud the song by the final talent show contestant earlier: Yellow Submarine.
Thanks to everyone for your hospitality, I’ll definitely be back!
