Ice cream parlour set up at care home in memory of much loved member of staff Jody
“The love shown for our beloved Jody has been immense and it will be a very special day”
Staff and residents at a Sunderland care home are celebrating the life of a former colleague and carer with the opening of an ice cream parlour for residents and their families.
Jody Redman, former activities coordinator at Belle Vue House on Gray Road, was just 53 when she sadly passed away in December 2025.
Colleagues have described how over an eight and a half career at the home Jody “worked tirelessly for the happiness and welfare of residents, even raising funds to provide an on-site café and bar for them all to enjoy”.
Named ‘Jody’s Scoops of Love’, on Thursday (June 11) the ice cream parlour will be officially opened in the care home’s grounds.
The day will also see staff, families and residents able to enjoy a garden party in honour of Jody’s friendship and career.
The new ice cream parlour is set to be opened by Jody’s father Edward.
The home’s Café on the Close will be open for business, as will its fully stocked bar, and Alison Oliver, manager at Belle Vue House hopes the day will be “full of love for a very special person”.
Alison added: “Jody was the life and soul of Belle Vue House, always putting the residents’ needs first, but, away from work, her family and friends were her world and it will be lovely for them all to be gathered here to remember her.
“Our staff have all worked so hard to pull this off and the love shown for our beloved Jody has been immense and it will be a very special day.”
The event will all see staff, residents and families able to enjoy live entertainment with a buffet and refreshments provided.
Jody’s Scoops of Love will be run entirely by volunteers, with the help of residents, and any money raised from the sale of ice creams will be used to support a local grassroots football team whose players regularly visit the home to engage with residents.
Belle Vue House Care Home was judged as outstanding at its last inspection by the Care Quality Commission and is owned by Prestwick Care.