Mar 01 2021: Kathryn and Shelby share their walks with Sheffcare residents

RESIDENTS in the Sheffcare chain of care homes are enjoying the power of a good country walk…without even having to leave the comfort of their armchairs.

Sheffcare Volunteer Coordinator Kathryn Rawling realised that she could share some of her favourite lockdown walks by simply filming herself and pet Jack Russell cross Shelby and then distributing the footage to the ten Sheffcare homes throughout the city, following a successful pilot at the Burnt Tree Croft home in Upperthorpe.

“I can’t say it was entirely my own idea because I had actually been working on a project with Sheffield Hallam University where things like tram rides had been filmed for people living with dementia,” Kathryn said.

“But seeing how that had worked inspired me and I realised I could share some of my own walks.”

With Shelby for company, Kathryn’s first venture was a 15 minute stroll throughout the picturesque Rivelin Valley.

And inspired by that success, she then went on to capture a snowy stroll through the Bolehills area near Walkley.

The footage can now be watched by residents via laptops, phones and tablets and even made much bigger if shared through the Sharp interactive touch tables which are now a feature of all Sheffcare homes.

“My idea now is to create a library of films, featuring some of our residents’ favourite Sheffield walks and this weekend I am heading out to Ford near Ridgeway as it is a special place to one of our Burnt Tree Croft new residents,” said Kathryn.

“The really nice thing is that everybody loves seeing Shelby as we go along and the people who have seen the films up to now all seem to really focus on him and say it makes them feel even more a part of it.

“At a time like this, when our residents are going out much less than they would normally, this is at least a way to share the outdoors with them and it’s been very rewarding to see how much it’s appreciated.”