Langdale House is part of the Cygnet Social Care division and is a specialist residential service supporting individuals with learning disabilities, complex needs and behaviours that may challenge.
Earth Day is celebrated on Monday 22 April and Langdale House has committed to doing something impactful each month in order to make a difference to the environment.
Following a meeting in February to discuss how they could better support the environment and be more sustainable, residents looked at ways they could raise awareness and improve their recycling, reduce food waste, and electricity, gas, and water usage. They also talked about how they could help the local community.
In March, staff and residents took part in a local litter pick and this month, they will be donating toys and clothes to a local charity, Kirkwood Hospice.
Sandra Delaney, Deputy Manager at Langdale House, said: “Trying to create a sense of community for residents has always brought its own challenges as it can be segregating living in a residential home.
“By looking and taking responsibility for matters that are important to the community it allows us to open up lines of communication to Huddersfield residents and opportunities for our residents to interact and be understood in their own town and give back at the same time.
“By engaging in monthly activities focused on the environment and community engagement, including litter picks, visiting farmers’ markets, donating to charity, and offering shopping services for the vulnerable, the staff and residents at Langdale House are fostering a culture of eco-consciousness and social involvement.”
Kirkwood Hospice was chosen as the charity to support with donations as it has previously offered support to staff members with ill relatives in the past and is therefore a cause close to their hearts.
Describing the litter pick, Sandra added: “The litter pick went great, we made it a fun competition between residents and staff to see who could collect the most bags of rubbish around the local area. This resulted in lots of friendly competiveness including racing each other to pick up bits of litter and an occasional bit of cheating by taking someone else’s litter out of their bags!
“In total six full bags of rubbish was collected and all the residents went to the local café afterwards to celebrate with a cup of tea or coffee.”
Cygnet is committed to promoting a sustainable environment, supporting the communities in which it operates, and acting ethically and responsibly in all that it does. It recently launched an environmental network called R-World which encourages services to take part in initiatives which contribute to a cleaner and greener environment.
Mandy Sellers, Cygnet Health Care Operations Director, South East, said: “I am delighted to hear how colleagues and residents at Langdale House have really taken the R-World concept to heart and are demonstrating how we can all take small steps to make a huge difference for our planet.
“I look forward to hearing about their progress and activities over the coming month and would encourage other services to get involved too. We’d love to hear what everyone is doing to make the world a greener place at their service.”