Ballroom fans at a Bourne View care home have enjoyed a glittering evening of dance brought exclusively to them thanks to a partnership with Forest Holme Hospice.
Art deco-themed Bourne View in Poole provided the ideal backdrop for the show, part of the countdown to a Strictly Extravaganza competition the palliative care charity is staging.

As headline sponsor, Colten Care was able to treat Bourne View residents to a close-up view of brother-and-sister dancers Oliver and Eva Beardmore in action.

The pair delighted their audience by performing four dances: a waltz, Viennese waltz, cha cha and jive.
“It was wonderful,” said Peter Prior, while fellow Bourne View resident Joyce Boswell added: “I used to dance like that. It was lovely to have such talented people come in and dance just for us.”
Oliver, a Bournemouth-based professional dancer and champion, and a regular on the Strictly Come Dancing tour circuit, is coaching the ten contestants drawn from the community who are vying for glory at the Strictly Extravaganza finals at Poole Lighthouse in January 2025.

As with TV’s Strictly, each has been teamed up with a professional dancer to compete on the night after receiving lessons and taking part in rehearsals.

Joining the Bourne View residents for Oliver and Eva’s show were contestants Kerry and Jennie.

Kerry, a solicitor at law firm Coles Miller, said: “I have a passion for dancing and rekindled my interest in tap dancing over the past year. As a probate solicitor, I have a strong bond with Forest Holme. I have helped numerous patients with wills during their final days and supported their families after their loss. Forest Holme does exceptional work, and I am privileged to fundraise for their ongoing efforts.”
Jennie, who volunteers on a ward at Forest Holme, said: “I sadly lost my father to pancreatic cancer in 2013 when he was just 65 years old. Forest Holme provided invaluable support for my family during our most challenging times. Volunteering on the ward has become the highlight of my week. My father shared my passion for performing, and I believe he would have cherished watching me dance again and pursue what I am truly passionate about. Every dance performance is dedicated to him.”
The Bourne View evening was introduced by Forest Holme Fundraising Manager Sara Fripp and Colten Care Marketing Manager Laura Davis.

Sara said: “Since our founding in 1994, we have cared for more than 30,000 patients and their families, with voluntary donations and corporate support both vital to our funding. We are so grateful to Colten Care for partnering with us on the Strictly Extravaganza.”

Laura said: “We have many dance fans among our residents and it was lovely to see those at Bourne View enjoying the exclusive performance by Oliver and Eva. It was a real treat ahead of finals night.”

As well as hosting the evening with Oliver and Eva, Bourne View was the venue for the Strictly Extravaganza launch party in summer 2024.

It featured a champagne and canapés reception and an opportunity for contestants and corporate partners to get to know each other.

On finals night, contestants will perform before a 350-strong audience and a panel of judges from the dance world including Jason Edwards, the champion of a similar competition held by Forest Holme in 2023.

Tickets for the finals night, at Poole Lighthouse on Saturday 25 January 2025, are available at https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/StrictlyExtravaganza20251.

For more information on Forest Holme, visit www.forestholmehospice.org.uk.

Kindhearted residents at our Winchester dementia care home have teamed up with local schoolchildren to spread a little happiness around their neighbourhood.
An arts and crafts session at St Catherines View in Stanmore Lane, Winchester, saw young guests from St Peter’s Catholic Primary School spend time meeting and chatting with residents.

Together they made a series of bookmarks to give out free to the community in a move inspired by World Kindness Day.

Companionship Team Leader Laura Sheldrake laminated the bookmarks and placed them in clear bags along with a trolley coin and a note that said: ‘Enjoy this bookmark designed by a child at St Peter’s Catholic Primary School. Happy World Kindness Day’.

Residents also crocheted heart keyrings and put them in little packages labelled ‘pocket hugs’ along with a note and cookies homemade by St Catherines View Chef Gaby Popovici.

Laura and resident Gill Swaby then went out and about with eleven children from the school and Headteacher Louise Buxton.

They carefully hung some of the gifts from tree branches, gates and lampposts and handed out others to surprised and delighted passers-by.

As she took part, Gill said: “This is a fantastic idea and the children are so good, they are making people smile.”
One recipient posted a message to the school’s Parent Teacher Association saying: “What a lovely random act of kindness to come home to. A big thanks to St Peter’s Catholic Primary School and St Catherines View for this delightful initiative. I love my new bookmark!”
A staff member from the school, who found a bag left on her car, emailed Louise to say: “Thank you to whoever left this for me to find at the end of the day. To say I was very surprised and overwhelmed is an understatement.”

Companion Laura said: “It was great to go out in the community and be joined by the children. Gill loved helping them hang and give out the gifts. The school have been amazing in helping us build a fantastic connection. Mrs Buxton has been a driving force, making sure we keep the connection going.”

More than 200 community friends came together for an evening ‘festival of light’ in the garden of one of our New Forest care homes.
Staff at Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst transformed the space into an inviting family-friendly experience for their annual Diwali-inspired celebration.

One resident, Sybil Warner, described it as a ‘blaze of multicoloured light’.

As they walked along trails in the darkness, residents and guests took in illuminated displays such as stained glass-style stars, hanging lanterns and a Remembrance area full of poppies.

In the run-up to the festival, residents and team members went hands-on in their regular arts and craft sessions to help make the various features and installations.

And for the final touches, they hand-carved pumpkins with smiley faces, lit them with candles and carefully positioned them to line the walking routes.

Many of the pumpkins were donated by Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, a supporter of the event this year and last.

Jane Bunker, Companionship Team Leader at Outstanding-rated Woodpeckers, said the festival attracted strong community support once again.
“We deliberately make it a non-firework, family and dog-friendly event,” said Jane. “Given the proximity of the New Forest National Park, we do everything we can to respect nearby wildlife and de-pastured stock.
“The upshot is that visitors stroll through our beautifully illuminated displays, taking in the magical atmosphere which enchants children and residents alike.

“It was heart-warming to see so many people of all ages coming together enjoying the evening.

“It’s a real privilege to be joined by families, friends and the community in celebration of creativity, togetherness and light over darkness.”

Proceeds from the sale of hot chocolate and homemade biscuits helped to raise more than £300 for the Brockenhurst Gateway club, a charity that Woodpeckers residents have chosen to support.
Resident Sybil said: “The evening was a great success thanks to the hard work of Woodpeckers’ staff.

“Our beautiful garden became a blaze of multicoloured light which our many visitors, including children, enjoyed.”
Fellow residents agreed.

Karen Ball said: “We had a beautiful display of lights on a fine still evening, much enjoyed by everyone.

“As a resident I witnessed all the planning and hard work of the helpers and activities team involved in this project. They made it such a lovely experience.”

Geraldine Beech said: “The amalgam of lights and structures was breath-taking.”

“Absolutely brilliant,” said Jeff Harris. “Such a professional display.”

Other Colten Care homes staging Diwali-themed celebrations included Avon Cliff in Bournemouth where residents sampled a feast of Indian delicacies and tried out henna tattoos.

Spooktastic fun has prompted chills and thrills for our Dorset care home residents and their young visitors.
A host of Halloween-themed activities at our care homes in Bournemouth, Poole, Longham and Ferndown was guaranteed to give everyone goosebumps.

There were costumes, games, decorations, scary garden walks, dances around ‘the cauldron’ and tantalising treats such as gooey spider cakes, ghostly marshmallows and sour snakes.

At Fernhill dedicated dementia care home in Longham, residents spent a morning carving pumpkins and turned their Maple Lounge into a colourful Halloween party room.

At Canford Chase in Poole, residents made an array of spooky craft decorations and invited guests for a spot of apple bobbing followed by a scavenger hunt.

Children and grandchildren of residents shared in the ghostly goings-on at Amberwood House in Ferndown which featured games and a disco.

A seasonal lucky-dip of gifts hidden in a bin of ‘red worms’ proved popular at The Aldbury dementia home in Poole, and helped raise money for Dorset Wildlife in Need.

Youngsters visiting the home’s retreat and summer house also painted pumpkins, sang along to party songs such as the Hokey Cokey and sampled a fruit punch.
Resident Joyce   said: “It was lovely to see the children running around and enjoying themselves.”
Fellow resident Valerie Sharp said: “What fun we all had.”

Companionship Team Leader Sue Miles said: “There was much hocus pocus, with the laughter and smiles clearly showing it was going down well. We all enjoyed the spooky atmosphere and fancy dress.”

Residents at our Winchester dementia care home have enjoyed learning a little more about their carers’ backgrounds on two days devoted to celebrating cultural diversity.
More than a dozen team members at St Catherines View in Winchester donned traditional national dress from their Asian and African homelands to light up the festive parties.

Colleagues representing countries such as South Africa, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines led the way with music, dancing, national costumes and traditional foods.

As well as learning basic greetings in Swahili, Tamil, Nepali and other languages, residents and relatives went hands-on and played African djembe drums and tried out Bollywood-style dance moves.
Companionship Team Leader Laura Sheldrake said: “On both days, the colour, the costumes, the music and the array of culinary delights on show were all amazing.

“Our residents absolutely loved these experiences. Both days just had so much laughter and good cheer.”
For part of each day, residents and staff got together and looked at different national flags and discussed the locations of countries across the African and Asian continents.

The opportunity to join in and dance to traditional Indian music particularly energised resident Nalini Bhagwat.

Although born in Kenya, Nalini spent much of her childhood in the state of Maharashtra in western India.

She learned classical Indian dancing as a young girl and was good enough to be invited to perform in front of native Marathi aristocracy.
St Catherines View Home Manager Vanda Baker said: “As our team is so multicultural, we thought it would be a great idea to get together with residents and share a flavour of everyone’s backgrounds.

“Having a team drawn from so many places enables us to share experiences, skills and knowledge that help support each other and enrich our workplace. That in turn strengthens our care of residents and their families.”
Resident Gillian Swaby said: “It was so lovely to have the staff showcase their countries and share something of their cultures and backgrounds with us. We all think they are amazing.”

Canford Chase companion transformed himself into Mr Motivator to lead residents in a fun fitness session.
Around a dozen participants joined Justin Corner as the lounge at Poole care home Canford Chase was turned into a temporary gym.

Dressed in a Mr Motivator-style multi-coloured ‘unitard’, Justin led the residents through a warm-up, a workout involving stretching and a series of games and exercises.

Residents rolled and bounced gym balls, teamed up to toss a ball back and forward in a parachute game and twirled streamers in figures of eight and other movements.
Justin said: “Seated exercise, including gentle stretching and moving, is a great way to support residents’ health and wellbeing.

“As well as the physical benefits, it can really lighten the mood and boost mental health. Everyone was smiling as they joined in.”
Several residents accepted the offer to wear headbands. For Anne Hammond, seeing fellow resident Robert ‘Bob’ Double put on a green headband prompted memories of watching Wimbledon tennis in the 1980s.
“Bob reminded me of John McEnroe,” said Anne. “He looked just the part. It was one of many happy moments during the session. It was really fantastic and we all had good fun.”

Justin was accompanied in supervising the session by colleague Danielle Rolls, recently appointed as Care Trainer for our Bournemouth and Poole homes.

The get-together was prompted by the recent National Fitness Day, designed to raise awareness of the role that physical activity plays in helping us all to lead healthier lifestyles.

As well as the exercises, Canford Chase residents were invited to start the morning off with a healthy fruit platter for breakfast while staff were encouraged to come to work in fitness attire and join the session.

Mr Motivator, otherwise known as Derrick Errol Evans MBE, is a professional coach famous for his fitness videos and routines and the many tips he gave to viewers on the breakfast television show GMTV.

Residents from our New Forest care homes joined families and friends for a French-themed afternoon tea that raised hundreds of pounds for charity Parkinson’s UK.
Boldre War Memorial Hall was transformed into a Parisian-style restaurant as the parties from our New Forest Homes and other community organisations sampled homemade patisserie delights.

More than 100 guests listened and danced along to traditional French songs played live on accordion, guitar and double bass by French-costumed New Milton group Café Mondial.

Advance tickets, on-the-door entry and donations helped the event raise £700 for the New Forest Branch of Parkinson’s UK.

One resident of Linden House dedicated dementia care home in Lymington, Liz, said: “We had smiles on our faces all afternoon, clapping and dancing. We absolutely loved it. It was wonderful from start to finish.”

Residents from Court Lodge and Belmore Lodge in Lymington, plus Kingfishers in New Milton and Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, also enjoyed the occasion.

Community guests included members of a French language group in Lymington, set up in relation to the town’s official twinning partnership with Vitré in Brittany.
Peter Doyle, Colten Care Operations Manager, who later presented a cheque with the proceeds to a meeting of the Parkinson’s UK branch, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to help put on such a happy, successful occasion for our residents, the Parkinson’s group members and the local community.

“It was great to chat to people who had a good time enjoying the chance to relax, meet friends and listen to very talented musicians at what was an amazing event.”
Martin Hall-Patch, Chairman of the Parkinson’s UK New Forest Branch, said: “The atmosphere in the room was amazing, with a strong buzz of conversation throughout and this, coupled with the music of Café Mondial, demonstrated that a good time was being had by everyone present.

“It was a truly memorable occasion and an excellent afternoon’s entertainment. This was only made possible by the ceaselessly professional yet personal way the Colten team carried out their duties and the hard work that went into making it all happen so well.

“Everyone I spoke to said they enjoyed the afternoon and it was clear from their faces that the Colten residents felt the same.”