Hall Lane Culture Day
On 28th October, our Leeds and Wakefield services came together at Hall Lane to enjoy a special ‘Culture Day’ at the service. This is the service’s second Culture Day, and staff and people we support wanted to make it even bigger and better than last year. Everyone got involved, helping decorate the service, plan activities, and, of course, prepare some very delicious food.
The day came around quickly, and everyone got to work! From midday, guests began to arrive and were welcomed in with the smell of home cooking. Staff members made and brought food from home, each bringing a dish that is from their culture or their country, and created a tasty spread which left everyone very full! With multiple rice dishes from countries including Iran, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, to homemade dumplings from China, samosas from India, baked chicken and fish from Ghana and Nigeria, and tasty desserts including ‘puff puff’ (small fried dumplings) from across Central and West Africa, and a beautiful rice pudding from Iran. We also had representation from closer to home, with homemade mushy peas and mini pies and mini Yorkshire puddings with cottage pie inside.
After food was devoured, it was soon time for activities and games. It was a packed schedule, from guessing the flag, to speaking in another language, to a fashion show complete with runway. Staff wore beautiful, vibrant clothes from their culture, and after pumping the runway, explained what each piece was called and when it was traditionally worn. Everyone received a raucous round of applause and cheers on a fashion show well done!
Next up, it was time to make a TikTok! Led by the very capable Tosin, we gathered outside in a circle, did some trial runs, and then made a video with everyone singing along to the Justin Bieber classic ‘Baby’.
After a busy day full of fun, celebration, and laughter, the Culture Day came to an end. With everyone leaving with a full belly and a full heart, it’s safe to say Hall Lane’s second Culture Day was an absolute success! A huge well done to everyone involved in the Culture Day, you should all be so very proud of yourselves and the beautiful celebration of each other and ourselves.
Registered Manager Katie and Deputy Manager Tosin reflected on the day, and said: “Hall Lane and Wakefield services came together to celebrate the wonderful diversity of cultures from all around the world. It was a fantastic day filled with cultural outfits, delicious traditional foods, music, games, and most importantly, a real sense of togetherness.
“It was amazing to see everyone embracing and sharing their cultures, learning from one another and enjoying the opportunity to celebrate what makes each of us unique. The people we support thoroughly enjoyed the day, and it was lovely to see so many people engaging, smiling, and getting involved in the activities.
“A huge thank you and my sincere appreciation to all the staff teams who put so much time, effort, and enthusiasm into making the event such a success. Their dedication helped create a welcoming, inclusive, and enjoyable atmosphere for everyone involved.
“It is particularly rewarding to see how far Hall Lane has come over the past 12 months. Seeing the positive engagement, the connections being built, and everyone coming together to celebrate diversity is a real reflection of the progress being made.
“It was also lovely to hear the positive feedback from colleagues visiting Wakefield, who commented on how welcoming the staff at Hall Lane are. This is something we should all be incredibly proud of, as creating a warm, inclusive and supportive environment makes such a difference to the people we support and the teams we work alongside.
“The Cultural Day was a wonderful reminder that celebrating our differences brings us closer together. Thank you to everyone who contributed to such a memorable day. Here’s to continuing to build on this progress and creating many more opportunities to celebrate, connect, and share experiences together!”
