I always try to offer a balanced selection of news items from a variety of angles – but this month’s (appropriately enough for June) is about ice-cream! What on earth does that have to do with the Butterfly Scheme? Please read on …
Where the Butterfly Scheme is delivered brilliantly, it’s because impassioned staff put their heart and soul, as well as their expertise and dedication, into caring well for people needing memory support. Who could ask for anything more?
Well, sometimes staff come up with staggeringly innovative ways of advertising or enhancing their delivery of the scheme. When the elderly care team at Blackpool Victoria Hospital asked me if they could name an ice-cream after the scheme, I thought things were going a step too far … but we soon found a way of achieving what they ho ped to achieve. They wanted support the Trust’s Blue Skies charity fundraising appeal, and nurse Francesca’s family were willing to donate profits from the sales of a special sundae at their ice-cream parlour. By explaining to customers that they’ve taken their inspiration from the Butterfly Scheme, they are managing both to raise funds and also let more local people know about the scheme. Families of people already cared for under the scheme have even made special visits to sample the Butterfly Sundae!
Every minute of every day, hospital staff go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver extra-special care. This example of spreading greater awareness of the scheme – and fundraising for charity at the same time – gives me an additional opportunity to thank them all for everything they do.