An Angel of the North made entirely from toilet paper and a celebrity lookalike competition including Laurel and Hardy, Diana Ross and Sherlock Holmes were among the highlights as part of a special set of activities for adults attending six of County Durham’s Pathways Care Hubs.
The latest in a busy schedule of fun days and performances, service users at the Durham County Council provision were put to the test in a series of engaging challenges organised for the Taskmaster Teams event.
Artwork including an Angel of the North, an Italian Mr Whippy and a lion created for the ‘Loo-vre’ Gallery made entirely of toilet paper were created by those taking part. The winner in the celebrity lookalike competition meanwhile was a service user from Positive Journeys who performed South Korean pop star Psy’s Gangnam Style. A penny stack competition was won by Durham Pathways with a stack of 27 coins.
Pathways is a specialist service for those with complex care and support needs, providing a safe, stable, and joyful environment that enables people to challenge perceptions and to flourish. It delivers a wide range of lively and enriching activities in warm and welcoming hubs, supporting people to do everyday and out of the ordinary experiences in their community, where possible. The service also aims to promote self-confidence and self-esteem, build a sense of belonging and help its users develop friendships.
Diane Howe, Pathways senior development support, led the virtual session over Microsoft Teams. She said: “We are concentrating on learning and sensory interaction whilst injecting fun and creativity into the working day. A noted improvement in the mental wellbeing and emotional resilience of all concerned has been most evident with staff and service users engaging in healthy competition to outdo one another in every aspect of the competitions.”
Jackie Ball, Pathways county wide manager, said: “After recently taking over the role I have seen the passion and enthusiasm of the whole staff team regarding working within the digital platform. This had never been experienced before coronavirus, but going forward service users and staff are embracing this whole new valuable concept.”
Jane Robinson, Durham County Council’s corporate director of adult and health services, said: “It’s great to see so many of the adults involved with Pathways enjoying themselves at this virtual event. It’s very important that those taking part experience a wide variety of activities which build confidence and good relationships with each other.”
For more information about Care and Support Pathways for adults with disabilities in County Durham go to www.durham.gov.uk/pathways
