Wolverhampton care home residents celebrate Vaisakhi

Residents at a care home in Wolverhampton marked the Sikh New Year, Vaisakhi with a celebration of Indian culture.

Residents at Care UK’s Foxland Grange, on Wergs Road, marked the important event in the Sikh calendar with an Indian-inspired lunch and a special performance.

Vaisakhi, which takes place annually on the 13^th or 14^th April, celebrates the start of the Sikh New Year and harvest festival. The festival dates back to 1699, the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith. 

Keen to learn more about the traditions of the celebration, residents and team members wore traditional saris and Indian scarves called chunnis. Team members brought in some of their favourite traditional Indian foods and drinks to share with the residents, including samosas, onion bhajis, spring rolls, Indian sweets for dessert and mango lassi, a creamy yogurt-based drink. They also learned more about the meaning of Vaisakhi and how it is celebrated.  

Jazz Lalli, Director of Community Relations, celebrates Vaisakhi every year with her family. Keen to bring the celebration of life, Jazz played the dhol drum for the residents. She has also previously performed with the traditional double-headed drum with an orchestra at the Symphony Hall for an East meets West twist event.

Commenting on the event, resident Beryl Hill said: “I’d love to see more events like this and learn about different cultures, it reminded me of going abroad. Everyone got so involved and it was lovely to see.”

Jazz said: “We had a fantastic day celebrating Vaisakhi with the residents at Foxland Grange and it was great to share my culture with both residents and the team.

“We’re committed to ensuring the home is a welcoming and supportive place for everyone, where different cultures and interests are regularly celebrated through memorable activities which promote positive wellbeing. 

“I’d like to say a huge thank the team for putting in so much effort so we could fully immerse ourselves in Vaisakhi.” 

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Foxland Grange, incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The building has been configured into a series of neighbourhoods to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.