Triumphant Return of the HICA SHINE Ball
HICA residents and staff were delighted to attend the company’s SHINE Afternoon Ball for the first time in three years.
Over the last two years the Group were forced to cancel the event due to the covid pandemic. The event, which had a 1960’s theme, was held at The Village Hotel in Hessle and over 160 service users and staff attended, most wearing fancy dress. The afternoon included a luxurious afternoon tea with entertainment for guests to enjoy.
To start the event staff and residents from Isaac Robinson Court, aided by HICA friend and partner Keyna Paul from Hull Dance entertained the crowd with a fantastic dance recital.
CEO Terry Peel took to the stage to welcome everyone to the event and reflected on the organisations achievements over the past few years. Terry then started the Annual Awards presentation, an eagerly awaited section of the event.
The first awards were for the HICA in Bloom competition, which is an annual competition where each home designs and creates a new garden space in the grounds of their home. The Wolds Care Centre (Louth) and Elm Tree Court (Hull) were delighted to share the Winners Award, with Terry remarking on the passion and skill that the residents had shown in bringing their garden plans to fruition. The Anchorage, The Hollies and The Grange received the runners up trophies.
The next awards to be given were the Shining Star Award and the Friends and Family Award. These awards go the staff workers nominated by staff and family members for excellence at work. The Shining Star Award went to Sheila Platten, support worker from Albemarle Mews. The judges noted that Sheila is extremely dedicated to the people she supports and phones them every night in her own time to make sure they are okay and also takes them on holiday in her own time to ensure that they manage to get a vacation. The Friends and Family Award went to Claire Gillies and Rebecca Wiles, Senior Activity Coordinators from Elm Tree Court. The award celebrated how dedicated these two are in ensuring that there is always a full calendar of activities, not only for groups of people but also to satisfy personal interest. It was noted how during lockdown they were focussed on ‘bringing the outside in’ as residents couldn’t go out. This included creating cinema, café and pub spaces within the home.
The next award was the CEO’s Special Mention Award which went to Special Projects Team Mathew Bain and Carl Bruske. This award praised their diligence and ‘can-do’ attitude and the long hours spent ensuring the move to the new HQ in Hesslewood went smoothly.
After this Housing Manager/ Executive PA Julia Woodcock made a surprise presentation to Terry Peel of an Excellence in Leadership award, commending the sure and steady way he led company through the pandemic.
After the presentation, singer Claire Louise took to the stage to entertain the crowd who passed the rest of the afternoon singing and dancing. Everyone agreed that the event was a marvellous success!
Terry Peel said “It was brilliant to be able to hold the event again after all that everyone has been through. The Shine Ball is always a fantastic event, and the residents look forward to it all year. This event is only made possible by the fundraising efforts of our staff, residents, their families and the local community.
“It is important that we help residents to maintain a high quality of life by providing opportunities to attend social events on a regular basis. The Shine Ball is our biggest celebration event of the year and a highlight for all involved.”
He added, “We all are looking forward to making next year’s event even bigger and better!”
