Our Extra Care scheme The Manors, in Prudhoe, was transformed into a theatre last Saturday afternoon as the residents put on their first pantomime.
The Manors panto been a big success, helping to raise £300 for the scheme’s activity fund by selling out all 105 tickets, with residents, family members and members of the public coming along to enjoy the show.
The idea to do the pantomime came from Elizabeth Pratt, the Assistant Extra Care Scheme Coordinator and Activities Coordinator at The Manors:
“I’d put on a panto at another scheme I’d worked at, and it went down really well. It creates a great sense of camaraderie between the residents as they support each other to put it on. It’s also a chance to get people socialising, with this being one of the first activities some of the residents have taken part in.
“I’m the producer (a title the residents gave me) and we’ve been rehearsing since September. We’ve written most of the script ourselves, adapting a panto I found online and making it our own. We focused on making it accessible to the cast, working their roles around the skills they have rather than their disabilities. I think it could potentially be the oldest panto cast in the UK.”
The pantomime included one resident playing a character called ‘Speedy Joe’ who comes in on a mobility scooter that sounds like a motorbike revving. There’s also a rapping Red Riding Hood called ‘Little Red Hoodie’.
Resident’s Helen Johnson took on the role as Creative Director and worked with the team at the scheme to build sets, make costumes, write the scripts and choose the songs.
“It’s been a lot of hard work but a lot of fun too,” said Helen. “It’s been great to help bring so much laughter to the scheme as well as raising the profile of The Manors.
The cast of the panto were very enthusiastic about the performance:
“We wanted to join in and be part of something fun, and maybe even get some autographs” they joked. “We were equally excited and terrified to perform it in front of a live audience. In the end, it was great to be able to sing the songs together, hear all the laughter and applause from the audience and finish things off with a rendition of ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas.”
Liz added: “They were all amazing and should be very proud of themselves. It’s been such a great way to celebrate Christmas at The Manors and hopefully we’ll do it again next year – once we’ve had a chance to recover.
"It was wonderful to see the great grandchildren of one of the cast members enjoying it so much. I’m proud that we have helped our residents to create memories that their families will be able to remember and cherish for a long time. I’m also proud we were able to showcase the amazing talents and personalities that our residents have. We proved that age should not be a barrier to anything you want to achieve."
Paul Wailes, Karbon Homes Supported Housing Manager, said:
“I’m incredibly proud of the whole team at The Manors for putting on Karbon’s very first resident acted Christmas panto. The event was a real testament to the creativity, energy and teamwork of everyone involved. The whole wrap-around team on site were involved in making this event possible.
“A special shout out to our scheme staff Liz and Lauren, who helped bring the idea to life. It is wonderful to see residents and colleagues come together to share laughter, joy and festive spirit. Events like this really highlight the power of community within our Extra Care schemes, creating connections, boosting wellbeing and making The Manors a place where people truly feel at home. I hope this is the first of many future pantos.”
Cast List (in order of appearance)
Narrator: Margaret Tulip
Mrs Riding Hood: Marilyn Jackson
Little Red Hoodie: Shirley Glass
Wolfie: Madge Neave
Hoodies: Nora Ackroyd and Marjorie Ferries
Little Pete: Doreen Davidson
Speedy Joe: Celia Johnson
Woodcutter: Frances Roberts
Grandma: Pam Norton
Grandma’s Carers: Heather Thompson and Lorna Wynn
Creative Director: Helen Johnson
You can find out more about our Extra Care schemes right here.
Our Extra Care scheme The Manors, in Prudhoe, was transformed into a theatre last Saturday afternoon as the residents put on their first pantomime.
The Manors panto been a big success, helping to raise £300 for the scheme’s activity fund by selling out all 105 tickets, with residents, family members and members of the public coming along to enjoy the show.
The idea to do the pantomime came from Elizabeth Pratt, the Assistant Extra Care Scheme Coordinator and Activities Coordinator at The Manors:
“I’d put on a panto at another scheme I’d worked at, and it went down really well. It creates a great sense of camaraderie between the residents as they support each other to put it on. It’s also a chance to get people socialising, with this being one of the first activities some of the residents have taken part in.
“I’m the producer (a title the residents gave me) and we’ve been rehearsing since September. We’ve written most of the script ourselves, adapting a panto I found online and making it our own. We focused on making it accessible to the cast, working their roles around the skills they have rather than their disabilities. I think it could potentially be the oldest panto cast in the UK.”
The pantomime included one resident playing a character called ‘Speedy Joe’ who comes in on a mobility scooter that sounds like a motorbike revving. There’s also a rapping Red Riding Hood called ‘Little Red Hoodie’.
Resident’s Helen Johnson took on the role as Creative Director and worked with the team at the scheme to build sets, make costumes, write the scripts and choose the songs.
“It’s been a lot of hard work but a lot of fun too,” said Helen. “It’s been great to help bring so much laughter to the scheme as well as raising the profile of The Manors.
The cast of the panto were very enthusiastic about the performance:
“We wanted to join in and be part of something fun, and maybe even get some autographs” they joked. “We were equally excited and terrified to perform it in front of a live audience. In the end, it was great to be able to sing the songs together, hear all the laughter and applause from the audience and finish things off with a rendition of ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas.”
Liz added: “They were all amazing and should be very proud of themselves. It’s been such a great way to celebrate Christmas at The Manors and hopefully we’ll do it again next year – once we’ve had a chance to recover.
"It was wonderful to see the great grandchildren of one of the cast members enjoying it so much. I’m proud that we have helped our residents to create memories that their families will be able to remember and cherish for a long time. I’m also proud we were able to showcase the amazing talents and personalities that our residents have. We proved that age should not be a barrier to anything you want to achieve."
Paul Wailes, Karbon Homes Supported Housing Manager, said:
“I’m incredibly proud of the whole team at The Manors for putting on Karbon’s very first resident acted Christmas panto. The event was a real testament to the creativity, energy and teamwork of everyone involved. The whole wrap-around team on site were involved in making this event possible.
“A special shout out to our scheme staff Liz and Lauren, who helped bring the idea to life. It is wonderful to see residents and colleagues come together to share laughter, joy and festive spirit. Events like this really highlight the power of community within our Extra Care schemes, creating connections, boosting wellbeing and making The Manors a place where people truly feel at home. I hope this is the first of many future pantos.”
Cast List (in order of appearance)
Narrator: Margaret Tulip
Mrs Riding Hood: Marilyn Jackson
Little Red Hoodie: Shirley Glass
Wolfie: Madge Neave
Hoodies: Nora Ackroyd and Marjorie Ferries
Little Pete: Doreen Davidson
Speedy Joe: Celia Johnson
Woodcutter: Frances Roberts
Grandma: Pam Norton
Grandma’s Carers: Heather Thompson and Lorna Wynn
Creative Director: Helen Johnson
You can find out more about our Extra Care schemes right here.
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