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Saturday, February 8, 2025

Aged care residents pedal creative welcome for Tour Down Under

Residents at Clayton Church Homes’ aged care development, Summerhill, in Uraidla, have showcased their artistic flare by creating 24 metres of celebratory bunting to usher the Tour Down Under into town today.

The display is part of a community effort to welcome the world’s best cyclists as they complete the Men’s Stage 3 of the Tour.

Featuring bold colours, dazzling flowers and iconic Australiana imagery, the bunting will link to a sea of other vibrant displays vying for victory in the Santos Best Dressed Town competition.

Residents say they found the creative process just as fulfilling as the finished result. Weekly sessions to work on the bunting started in December and became a source of laughter, connection, and social engagement, as well as a valuable opportunity to nurture fine motor skills and coordination.

Proud artist and Summerhill resident June Bentley said the project had brought “a bit of life into an old body”.

“Working together has been wonderful for our community,” June said. “We’ve spent hours and hours laughing away and having fun. I’ve loved contributing.

“The display is great for spectators and even better for our town. It’s a showpiece.”

Another resident, Rex MacIvor said he cannot wait to see the bunting take centre stage in welcoming the world’s best cyclists to town.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting together, concentrating, and doing something meaningful as a team,” Rex said.

CCH Positive Ageing Coordinator, Enya Hyde said staff and residents would gather out the front of Summerhill to cheer on the riders.

“We’ve had weekly sessions but every day some people have been doing bits and pieces,” Enya said.

“The residents have been painting, plaiting, cutting, stapling and threading. While it takes a fair bit of effort, they’ve hardly noticed because they are enjoying it so much – laughing and giggling as they go.”

Clayton Church Homes Chief Executive Officer Jo Boylan said it was “a fantastic project.”

“It’s been a huge team effort,” Ms Boylan said.

“It is very important to us that our homes, including Summerhill, are truly connected to their communities though initiatives just like this.”

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