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Teamwork and Growth at Gardening Club

Person holding bamboo cane next to netted pea frame – A man in a black puffer jacket and grey joggers works on securing a bamboo cane to a green netting structure in the allotment.
Seedlings in trays – A variety of young vegetable and flower seedlings growing in labelled pots and trays inside a polytunnel.
Group gardening with netting frame – A group of people work together to plant out seedlings and build a netted support frame using bamboo canes.
Planting peas under netting – A man crouches to plant seedlings beneath a netting frame while others look on and assist.
Close-up of broad bean seedlings – Broad bean seedlings in biodegradable pots labelled with a white plant tag.
Man potting compost into plant pots – A man fills black plastic pots with compost from a green bucket inside a polytunnel.
Three men working together by stacked pallets – Three men prepare planting areas and discuss next steps beside a stack of wooden pallets in the allotment.
Freshly earthed-up potato beds – Neat ridges of soil formed into rows for growing potatoes, with bamboo markers at each end.
Team building netting around frame – A support worker and two men add netting to a bamboo structure to support broad bean plants.
Watering seedlings indoors – A man sprays a tray of young seedlings using a red spray bottle on a shelf unit indoors, with an Easter egg box visible nearby.

The latest session of our Gardening Club at the allotment was full of energy, purpose, and collaboration, with just a touch of uncertainty in the weather. With rain in the air, the team wasted no time unloading the minibus and getting stuck in.

DLE took charge of earthing up the potatoes, carefully clearing weeds and shaping the rows to keep the area tidy and productive. His work gave the patch a real sense of structure – a noticeable transformation in just one session.

Meanwhile, AW built a bamboo cane frame beside the peas and planted out our broad bean seedlings, which had been started on the windowsill at Enablement Care. It was a satisfying milestone, marking another plot coming to life.

In the polytunnel, AB and TG, supported by Lee, focused on repotting flower seedlings into larger pots. Each plant was handled with care and precision, using just the right amount of compost to give them room to grow.

As always, time flew by. The group packed away with impressive teamwork – tools cleaned, waste collected, and everything loaded back into the minibus smoothly. A final sweep of the site by AW and AB ensured nothing was left behind.

Back at Enablement Care, the day ended with a shared meal – chicken casserole followed by fruit cobbler. A well-earned treat that rounded off the session with warmth and community.

Special thanks to everyone for your efforts – and to Lee for stepping in while Lisa was away (rest assured, Lisa, your onions are thriving!).

Please get in touch if you’d like to know more about our Gardening Club and how we support individuals with additional needs through outdoor and therapeutic activity.

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Walking Club Explores Rufford Park

Walking Club recently enjoyed a peaceful stroll around Rufford Abbey Country Park – a welcome dose of fresh air, movement, and good company.

A woman in a pink gilet smiling at the camera while walking through the woods, with another walker behind her holding a water bottle.
A small group walking along a forest path surrounded by tall trees and greenery.
Three members of the group sitting on a bench in the woods, taking a break from their walk.
A man smiling and holding his rucksack while seated on a bench surrounded by trees.
The walking group posing for a photo near a signpost at Rufford Abbey, smiling after their walk.
Group of walkers making their way down a leafy path, passing a large moss-covered tree trunk.
A woman walking alone on a shaded woodland path, holding a bottle of water.

With the sun shining after a rainy spell, the group took to the lakeside paths at a gentler pace than usual, allowing everyone to soak in the sights and sounds of the park. Birds chirped overhead, squirrels darted through the trees, and there was plenty of relaxed conversation and laughter along the way.

The route was carefully chosen to suit a range of mobility needs, making the walk accessible and enjoyable for all. Activities like this are not only beneficial for physical health but also help reduce anxiety and boost mood through time spent in nature and meaningful social interaction.

Halfway through the walk, the group stopped at a quiet spot beside the lake to enjoy a packed lunch, kindly prepared by Janet at Enablement Care. The moment was calm and reflective – watching the ducks on the water while enjoying sandwiches and snacks outdoors.

VK, always full of energy, opted for a slightly longer walk with support, completing an extra loop before rejoining the group near the mill. Her enthusiasm is a great example of how we aim to meet individual needs within group activities.

Everyone returned to the minibus feeling relaxed and uplifted – a gentle reminder of how small moments in nature can have a big impact.

Please get in touch if you’d like more information about our sessions and how we support individuals with additional needs through active and inclusive outings.

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Baking Hot Cross Buns: A Hands-On Easter Session at The Hub

Our recent Basic Cooking Session at The Hub embraced the spirit of Easter with a timeless favourite – hot cross buns. Led by Cayton, with support from John and Anthony, the session welcomed regular participants RR and DD, along with newcomer GN, who joined just in time for one of the season’s most rewarding activities.

A man standing at a sink, drying dishes with a tea towel during a cooking session.
A woman in a wheelchair wearing an apron, sitting at a table with a tray of five unbaked hot cross buns.
A close-up of freshly baked hot cross buns on a tray, golden brown with visible crosses.
A woman in a wheelchair and a support worker greasing a baking tray together, with prepared dough balls on the table.

The group began with refreshments and a moment to settle in. RR confidently made his own tea, GN opted for orange cordial, and everyone prepared for baking with handwashing and aprons at the ready.

From weighing out ingredients to mixing and kneading the dough, participants were fully hands-on throughout. The sensory experience of working with flour, yeast, and spices provided both fun and therapeutic value – even if a few aprons ended up dusted in white. These sessions not only build practical life skills but also support motor coordination, confidence, and teamwork.

DD took the lead in shaping the dough into even buns, while others carefully piped on the traditional crosses before they went into the oven. While the buns baked, RR jumped in to help with the washing up, showing initiative and a real sense of shared responsibility.

The highlight of the session was, of course, the moment the buns emerged from the oven – golden brown, aromatic, and finished with a honey glaze. GN helped with the final step, glazing each bun to perfection before the group enjoyed a well-earned taste test.

This kind of session combines practical skills with social interaction, offering participants a chance to engage in meaningful activity in a relaxed, supportive setting.

Thank you to Cayton, John, and all involved for creating another warm, welcoming, and memorable experience.

Please get in touch if you’d like more information about our sessions and how we support individuals with additional needs through engaging, hands-on activities.

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Celebrating Social Care – Support Worker to Registered Manager

A Day in the Life of April (Support Worker to Registered Manager)

April Parker

Hi, my name is April Parker-Clark and I’m the Registered Manager of Community Enablement Team. It seems appropriate to tell you all about my life as a manager.

It all started five years ago. I was shopping in town when I received a call from a familiar voice, asking if I was looking for work. My answer was yes, and that’s where my role began.

Previous to being employed by CCT, I was on maternity leave with my youngest, and prior to that, I worked in a residential supported living service.

I began my career with CCT as a support worker, and I knew that this was my forever job. It was completely different from supported living! I gained my Level 3 in Health and Social Care whilst working my way up to team leader after six months.

Progressing a year later, being humbled to be asked to take on the role of registered manager.

Fast forward to four years later, I’m now a fully qualified Level 5, with a good CQC rating and a staff team that are so supportive and service that no day is the same.

I could sit here for days telling you about what I do daily because no day is the same. I could be doing:

paperwork
attending meetings
training
working alongside my colleagues in the community
supporting medical appointments with the service users

Every day is different, and as a manager, I have to be ready for anything and everything.

Throughout my whole life, I was always told, ‘if you do a job you love, you’ll never have to work a single day for the rest of your life.’ This has stuck with me throughout and has been my inspiration to pursue my goal.

I start my day by checking my emails, they come thick and fast from the day before, and you never know what’s going to be asked of you the day after. I then load our rota system, check that all calls are being attended, looking for any issues for the following week, making sure all service users’ hours are catered for and making sure all staff have their allocated hours, breaks in the day and acknowledge any time time off requests.

I have a schedule for the month where I write down all my targets, due dates and audits.

Whether the audit is on the service user’s files, daily records, care plans or medications, completing audits helps me see what we as a team are doing well or what we may need to enhance. This allows me to create an action plan (if required) on what I need to do as a manager to support staff to ensure these audits are successful each time with minimal requirements.

Each month there is a scheduled managers meeting; this allows for all managers across the service to discuss what’s happening and offer support to one another. The managing director can provide guidance in areas as needed.

As I express to my staff, all feedback is constructive, and we as a team all work together to make sure the service is running safe and effectively.

Audits are time consuming, but they help me work out what we need to improve; this is vital for our growth as a business and a team. Involving the team I find is a great strategy, enhancing our team effectiveness.

Every month I hold team meetings for all the staff. We have used many platforms for this and find that holding a full day of meetings split into different times is the one that works the best. Completing this supports all staff and allows for the development of the staff team to grow. This is an excellent way for me to inform the team of how well we are doing, what we can improve on, and any new initiatives, training or events we have planned. Also, it is a good way for staff to discuss any concerns they may have and what challenges they have in the workplace. I try to make team meetings as fun as possible while being professional and serious when I need to be. We always have cake and coffee!

We use Microsoft Forms for staff and service users to gather feedback on the work that we do. It is not all rainbows, but this is a good way to build a relationship with relatives and an effective way for them to voice their concerns. All feedback is constructive! I write up an action plan and I take it from there; anything the team and I can do to improve the quality of care, we will.

I also have to go out to different environments to ‘assess’ new potential service users; I love this part of my job. This is where I get a small but detailed care plan on an individual that the adult social care services have sent me to review and assess.

Most referrals are generally within the Nottinghamshire area; I may have to go to hospitals, other care homes and the service user’s property.

Every day is a new day, and I learn so much. The most amazing people I have ever met, I have met in this line of work!

Looking for a satisfying and progressive career in social care?

For a full list of our current vacancies, please click here.

For further information on any of our vacancies, please contact us by email on info@challengect.co.uk