Balhousie Care Group Head Office transformed into a bountiful Christmas market today with a visit from staff and service users of ASC Balbeggie, Perthshire, bringing Santa’s sackloads of their handmade products to entice staff to start their Christmas shopping… or just have a yummy cake for lunch!

ASC’s pop-up-shop display ranged from sweet treats to one-of-a-kind inventions: preserves, cakes, fudge to handmade soaps, candles and glitter glasses, all driven and co ordinated by ASC’s gifted Activities Coordinator, Anne Foulds. And as the labels said all ‘Handmade with Love.’

Another shop ‘department’ presented stunning, turned and crafted wood products – chopping boards, bowls and candlesticks, to fascinating Bug Hotels of all shapes and sizes. The woodwork was all created bespoke, and to order, by service users in ASC’s highly productive, unique in-house carpentry workshop, under the watchful eye of Bob Foulds, who developed the workshop from scratch in a former shed, to share not only carpentry but life skills, and most of all to encourage relaxation and fun!

Once the shop had been bought and whittled down, the serious business of photograph judging took place. Anne explained, “We’re running a wee competition to create a 2022 calendar of photos, taken by staff and service users, and we asked members of staff from head office to judge the very many shots provided, selecting 13 winning images in total. It is certainly bringing out the competitive side here at ASC, with everyone keen to see if their entry will grace people’s home throughout the year to come!” 

Judges, Jill Kerr, Group Chief Executive Officer and Sheilah Harvey, Head of Operations, had a challenging task.

Go Team ASC! We can’t wait to see the final calendar.