Falkirk care home residents enjoy canal cruise

Residents from a local care home were able to enjoy a cruise along a canal once again for the first time in two long years.
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The popular trip with residents of Wallside Grange. in LIme Road, Tamfourhill – which was a regular feature in the home’s activity calendar – had to be put into dry dock for months upon months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three Wallside residents, Ruby Johnstone, Ann Haffey and Margaret Hastings, recently took to the water again thanks to the Seagull Trust charity – which is renowned for providing free canal cruising to people with mobility issues, so they can enjoy the relaxation and tranquillity canal cruising has to offer, while at the same time helping to revitalise the Scottish Lowland Waterways.

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The Wallside Grange residents and staff enjoyed a leisurely cruise along the canal thanks to the Seagull TrustThe Wallside Grange residents and staff enjoyed a leisurely cruise along the canal thanks to the Seagull Trust
The Wallside Grange residents and staff enjoyed a leisurely cruise along the canal thanks to the Seagull Trust
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Setting off from the Trust’s base at South Bantaskine Estate, Falkirk, the round-trip, which took in the sights of Linlithgow, lasted about two hours and gave the Ruby, Ann and Margaret an adventure to remember and a real sense of “getting away from it all”.

Melanie Bundy, Wallside Grange care home manager, said: “A canal trip with the Seagull Trust was a firm favourite with residents before the pandemic hit. It is fantastic we have been able to resume these trips as the residents enjoy taking in the views and watching the world go by at a leisurely pace.

"The residents were so excited about the trip that they were counting down the days until it took place.”

Now COVID-19 restrictions have eased, Wallside Grange, which has 30 well-appointed bedrooms and specialises in nursing care for older people, on a permanent or respite basis – is starting to resume its extensive programme of in-home activities, day trips, and visits from local community groups.

The Wallside Grange residents enjoyed a cruise along the canalThe Wallside Grange residents enjoyed a cruise along the canal
The Wallside Grange residents enjoyed a cruise along the canal
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Melanie added: “All of our activities take into account the health, ability and well being of residents and are also tailored to their personal hobbies and specific interests. In this case, the residents had not been on a canal boat before and were keen to experience one, so we arranged the Seagull Trust trip to make their wish become a reality.”

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