“The best decision I ever made”: A cup of tea with… Cyril

For our first instalment of A Cup of Tea With…, we’ve sat down with one of our The Meadows’ customers, Cyril Olsen. Known for his humour, honesty, and dedication as resident entertainment manager, Cyril’s story is a brilliant account of what makes The Meadows such a special place to live.

Cyril moved to The Meadows, an independent living home for older people with extra care provided if required, in 2016. Prior to this, he lived alone in a top floor flat nearby, spending most days “looking at four walls”. A friend suggested The Meadows as a new place for him to live. At first Cyril hesitated, but now says his initial stereotypes and expectations were “completely wrong”.

Sense of community

Cyril explains that what makes living at The Meadows particularly appealing to him is that it is community orientated.

“If you want entertainment there are plenty of options. If you choose to stay in your flat that is fine, but I always encourage those who are able to attend activities to try them out. Even if it’s just to have a chat with their neighbours, it helps widen the community spirit which, I have to say, I would like to see increase. It’s my hope that more people get involved because there are lots of opportunities to do so.”

Above and beyond

Another major factor which makes life at The Meadows so comfortable for Cyril is its key workers Sarah and Tricia, who he describes as godsends.

“I can’t praise them highly enough. They go way beyond their job descriptions. You can talk to them about anything. They make the place warm and they can’t do enough for us all – we’re very lucky to have them.”

Giving back

For the last three years Cyril has been organising bingo, spot the ball, and a monthly entertainer.

“I started volunteering because I wanted to give something back to society and have had various voluntary roles in the past. It’s nice to be able to contribute to creating community spirit at The Meadows and I enjoy putting on these activities – I also like to keep my mind occupied.”

And Cyril’s activities aren’t the only ones to keep The Meadows’ customers busy together – Sarah and Tricia organise several others including an art and crafts club, a weekly coffee morning, and an intergenerational group, which sees local school children visiting on a weekly basis.