National Inclusion Week 2025 at Amica Care
Recently, it was National Inclusion Week, an important date on our calendar, giving us the time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the ways we have created a space where we all feel valued and truly a part of the Amica Care community. This week in particular presents us with a unique chance to showcase, commemorate, and strengthen our commitment to inclusivity, something we foster on a constant basis within our beloved family.
At Amica Care, this isn’t just a theme for one week of the year – it is woven into the heart and soul of everything we do. As well as coming together in new, creative ways, we solidified our unwavering commitment to inclusion. In addition to frequent servings of fun and laughter, we wanted to focus on embracing our differences, cherishing them, learning more about each other and ensuring we all feel included.
Inclusion is about more than simply welcoming people – it’s about ensuring every individual feels they belong, their voice matters, and their unique experiences are recognised and relevant. Across our community and within our stunning homes, our comforting, inclusive atmosphere allows us all to feel a genuine sense of safety, respect and appreciation. Likewise, the exceptional service we provide is supported by our warm, inclusive nature, as making sure every member of our community feels a sense of belonging and unity is essential when delivering outstanding care.
As well as our exciting activity schedules unravelling during the week, it was also appropriately filled with heartwarming endeavours designed to connect, inspire, and remind us of the unrivalled power of belonging. We kicked off the week in style with a special ‘Tea and Talk’, session on the trusty Microsoft Teams, where our managers, deputies and Support Office team gathered for a cosy chat. Everyone brought with them a personal inclusion pledge – a small yet meaningful action that we can take into our daily life, helping to build inclusivity in a variety of ways. The session was filled with touching moments, as everyone shared their personal pledges, and enjoyed a warm cuppa. Full of happy faces and uplifting conversations, it was, undoubtedly, a wonderful way to start the week!
Within our homes, our dedicated Activities teams led the creation of vibrant ‘We Belong Because…’, walls. Our residents and staff members were invited to add a word, phrase, or drawing about what makes them feel included and valued. It can be said with confidence that the results were not only moving, but colourful, engaging, and deeply personal, serving as a visual reminder that feeling included and a sense of belonging can look and feel different for everyone, yet it matters to us all. Of course, our passionate team at Support Office also took part in this endearing initiative, creating their own decorative wall, filled with inspiring contributions.
It is worldwide knowledge that music has a distinctive way of bringing people and communities together. Whether it is through singing, dancing, or simply clapping with friends, we all feel connected through the joy of a great tune. With that in mind, our activities teams collected song requests from residents and staff members, asking for tracks that represent them in some way, and provide them with a sense of happiness and comfort. The collected songs were played in our spacious communal areas during the week, filling our gorgeous homes with nostalgia, elation, and, notably, some entertaining dance moves and sing-alongs. Joining in similar fashion, our Support Office crew created their own playlist. It is safe to say it was certainly a groovy week at Gatchell House, at least compared to the usual!
Lastly, our managers and deputies hosted ‘Tea and Talk’, sessions with their teams, centred on the question, ‘what makes you feel part of a team?’. Relaxing yet invigorating, these warm conversations gently encouraged open sharing, strengthening our connections with each other and reminding us of the small, everyday actions that make a big difference to our sense of belonging in the workplace. The results, as expected, were lovely to see, and the familiar feeling of togetherness we share all year round shone brightly once more, as our teams enjoyed a calming chit-chat.
Each of these activities served a crucial purpose and were designed to do more than just celebrate National Inclusion Week. They gave us and each member of our tight-knit community the space to listen, share opinions, and celebrate our rich diversity of experiences and backgrounds. We will keep the cherished memories created this week at the front of our minds, reminding us that inclusion is not a one-off event, but a daily practice, and one we hold close to us here at Amica Care. Inclusivity is at the core of our beliefs as an organisation, and by embracing it, we ensure that every resident feels at home, every colleague feels supported, and every visitor feels welcome.
We would like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this year’s National Inclusion Week not only a superb celebration, but a week filled with positivity, reflection and togetherness. To all of our incredible members of staff, and, of course, our remarkable residents, your passion, expression, and openness made this week truly special, and one we will definitely never forget. Here’s to keeping inclusion at the heart of our family all year round!
