Two of our Winchester care homes joined forces for a family-friendly summer fete in aid of a nearby disability charity.
Dozens of visitors were welcomed by residents and staff from Abbotts Barton and St Catherines View with the fun get-together raising £2,300 for the Boaz Project.

Based on a farm at Sutton Scotney, the charity is a therapeutic work community for adults with learning disabilities.

The fete, held at St Peter’s Primary School in Oliver’s Battery, Winchester, featured stalls selling jewellery, candles, soaps, cakes, plants and crocheted gift items handmade by residents and staff at the two homes.

There were also children’s games, a coconut shy, a barbecue, a tombola, a ball pit and the chance to see classic MG cars close up courtesy of the Winchester MG Owners Club.

Live entertainment included singing, belly dancing, and guitar and accordion playing.

Abbotts Barton residents Doris Short and Anne Devonshire were among those attending the fete with families.

Doris said: “It was such an enjoyable afternoon.”

The fete was the fourth such annual event that the two homes have staged in aid of charity.

Laura Sheldrake, Companionship Team Leader at St Catherines View, a dedicated dementia care home in Stanmore Lane, said: “A lot of hard work went into making sure this summer’s fete was as successful as previous years.

“Colleagues from both homes, other staff from Colten Care, and relatives and residents all helped.

“The Boaz Project joined us on the day selling fresh eggs from their chickens plus homemade cards, woodwork and jams.

“Families enjoyed all we had to offer and we were delighted with having some local stalls come and support us too. The biggest success was the raffle which made more than £800.

“Overall, we raised an incredible amount, £2,297.75, for a worthwhile cause.”

Guests included the Mayor of Winchester, Councillor Russell Gordon-Smith, who entered the spirit of the event by having a henna tattoo and purchasing several plants.

He said it was his ‘pleasure and privilege to experience the fun of the fete’, adding: “It is wonderful that this enjoyable event also raised such a fine sum for local farm-based charity The Boaz Project. I commend all involved with the fete for their hard work and this fantastic result.”

Local Councillor Jamie Scott, who also attended, said: “Thanks to the Colten Care team for a brilliant afternoon.

“It was so lovely to catch up with them and chat to the community attending the event.”

A craft fair held earlier in the summer at Abbotts Barton raised a further £300 for the Boaz Project.

Winchester care home Abbotts Barton is holding a craft fayre on Saturday 8 June in aid of the Boaz Project, a farm-based therapeutic work community for adults with learning disabilities.
Abbotts Barton Residents, staff and community friends will be selling handmade crafts including gift items and cards.

It follows a decision by residents to nominate The Boaz Project as their main charity to support for the second year in a row.

Last year, they and residents at fellow Winchester home St Catherines View together raised more than £3,000 for Boaz, which is based at Hill Farm in Sutton Scotney.

The homes’ activities included a joint summer fete on a green by Abbotts Barton, raffles, card sales, sponsored get-togethers and staff dressing-up days.
Abbotts Barton Home Manager Dee Lovewell said: “Fundraising is always an enjoyable experience for residents and staff and it helps residents continue to play a meaningful role in the local community.”
Boaz representatives will be at the forthcoming fayre with a stall selling crafts made by some of the adults they support.
Stuart Palmer, General Manager at Boaz, said: “Abbotts Barton have been a wonderful supporter of the work we do at Hill Farm, and it will be our pleasure to support this event and bring along a selection of handmade cards, woodwork, eggs and jams.”
The fayre takes place at Abbotts Barton, 40 Worthy Road, Winchester, SO23 7HB, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm on Saturday 8 June 2024.

Two of our Winchester care homes joined forces to stage a family-friendly fete and raise £1,500 to help adults with learning disabilities.
Residents and staff from Abbotts Barton and St Catherines View held the community event on Dyson Drive off Worthy Road.

It was their fourth annual ‘fete on the field’, designed as a joint effort to provide residents and families with a fun experience while raising money for charity.

Among the visitors perusing the craft and gift stalls, sampling Colten Care cakes and taking in the live music was the Mayor of Winchester Angela Clear who also lent her help to announce the prize winners in the raffle.

The fete raised more than £1,450 for the Sutton Scotney-based Boaz Project, a therapeutic work community for adults with learning disabilities.

The project is both homes’ main nominated charity to support this year, with further fundraising events and initiatives planned over the autumn and winter.

Residents from the homes spoke about how much they enjoyed the fun of attending the fete and spending time with friends, family and neighbours.

Rosemary Smale said: “It was a lovely event and the weather held for the afternoon.”

Sheila Thompson said: “I was so pleased about the money raised for the charity.”

Dee Lovewell, Home Manager of Abbotts Barton, which is just yards from Dyson Drive, said: “Neighbours told us they were pleased that the field was put to good use and that we had laid on such as inviting event, all in the aid of the Boaz Project.
“We thank the Mayor for attending with such great enthusiasm, joining in with the activities and helping to ensure the raffle prizes were drawn.

“Together we have raised a fantastic amount of money. This will be presented to The Boaz Project, together with all the funds raised by smaller fundraising events throughout the year, towards Christmas.”

Our two Winchester care homes joined forces for a family-friendly fete in aid of a charity that rescues sick and injured animals and birds.
Dozens of visitors were welcomed by residents and staff from Abbotts Barton and St Catherines View with the fun get-together raising more than £1,600, an amount described as an “incredible effort” by beneficiary Hart Wildlife Rescue.

The fete, held on the green in Dyson Drive off Worthy Road, just yards from Abbotts Barton, featured children’s games, stalls selling cakes, plants and handmade gift items, a coconut shy, a barbecue, a tombola and the chance to see inside a fire engine.
Abbotts Barton resident Rosemary Smale, who welcomed visitors to her stall selling handmade glassware, said: “The fete was a great success and it was busy for the whole duration. We had a fine day so we were lucky as we had thought the weather might not hold up.”

When told the fete had raised £1,641.84, Paul Michael Reynolds, Hart Wildlife Hospital Manager said: “That is an incredible effort, very well done and thank you so much for raising the money.”

With its hospital located in Medstead near Alton, Hart Wildlife Rescue provides rescue, treatment and rehabilitation for wildlife from all over Hampshire and neighbouring counties. The charity currently deals with more than 3,000 casualties every year, a figure that is increasingly annually.

Colten Care’s two Winchester care homes also staged a fete on the Dyson Drive green last year, raising around £1,000 for MHA Communities Winchester, a charity that helps older people in the community to live well.
Abbotts Barton Home Manager Dee Lovewell said: “Our residents and team needed no encouragement to stage another fete this year. We all loved taking part and supporting Hart Wildlife.”
Vanda Baker, Dee’s opposite number at St Catherines View, said: “It was lovely to organise another successful fundraising event, surpassing our total from last year and having great fun at the same time.”