Lifeways teams come together to celebrate culture and community at Africa Day in Lincoln

More than 100 Lifeways team members and the people they support enjoyed an afternoon of music, games and delicious food as they came together to celebrate Africa Day in Lincoln. 

Lifeways Residential Services from across the East Midlands and Sheffield gathered at Heath Farm in Lincoln for its third annual Africa Day celebration, honouring African culture, heritage and community. 

Sabrina Brown, Registered Manager at The Holt at Heath Farm, who played a key role in organising the event, shared how the celebration has continued to grow since it began. What started as a service-wide event has expanded each year, helping teams to learn more about each other, celebrate different cultures and strengthen connections, particularly as many team members have African backgrounds. 

“Our Africa Day celebration began three years ago, and after the first event was such a success, we wanted to make it bigger and bring even more people together. In the second year, we opened it up to the whole Heath Farm site, and this year we’ve expanded it further to welcome Residential Services from across the whole area. 

“After the first Africa Day, we noticed such a positive difference across the team. People communicated more openly, understood each other better and built stronger relationships. Having the opportunity to come together, enjoy ourselves and celebrate different cultures really helped bring everyone closer."

She added: “Lifeways has been incredibly supportive throughout this journey, giving us the freedom to create, organise and host events like this while encouraging us to celebrate the diverse backgrounds and experiences within our teams. 

“It was also fantastic to see so many members of the Residential division come along and share in the celebration with us.” 

Around 120 people attended the event, which featured a range of activities, including tug of war, an egg and spoon race, music from a DJ, a best dressed competition and even a bouncy castle. 

During the day, Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors were on site carrying out a routine inspection of one of the services. They commented on how responsive Lifeways team members were to the needs of the people they support, noting that when individuals showed signs of anxiety or distressed behaviours, staff responded promptly and with dignity, ensuring they could continue to enjoy the event. 

Following the event, the inspector emailed the Registered Managers across Heath Farm to praise everyone involved in organising the day. She said it was heart warming to see the commitment shown by staff in ensuring people were fully supported to take part in and enjoy the celebrations. 

Sabrina continued: “It was incredibly rewarding to see the people we support getting involved, joining in with the activities and having such a fantastic time. Seeing their smiles and watching them enjoy themselves was the highlight of the day. 

“Many of the people we support have complex needs and may not always have opportunities to socialise in this way within the wider community. Because this is a safe and familiar environment, they feel comfortable, confident and able to take part at their own pace. 

“It was amazing to see people who don’t usually like going out spending the whole day outside, enjoying activities, meeting people from other services and being part of something so special.” 

Looking ahead, Sabrina and the teams at Heath Farm are excited to continue celebrating Africa Day for years to come, while also creating more opportunities for everyone to come together through other special annual events.