Messages of love as care home residents celebrate Valentine’s Day  

Hundreds of our care home residents found heartfelt ways to have fun on Valentine’s Day.

Our 21 Colten Care homes in Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Wiltshire laid on events, activities and get-togethers to mark the annual celebration of love and romance.

At The Aldbury, a dedicated dementia care home in Poole, the residents’ garden group took the lead with an art project involving 100 pebbles.

These originally formed one of a series of installations that residents worked on to coincide with King Charles’ Coronation last year.

Several weeks ago, the group decided to repurpose the stones, paint them red and white and invite fellow residents and staff to inscribe and sign personal thoughts on them for loved ones to read when they visit the home.

Rearranged in a heart shape ready for Valentine’s Day, 70 of the stones are painted red and carry the words and signatures, with 30 coloured white and positioned around the outside.

Among the special greetings to family and friends are sentiments such as ‘Love never fails’, ‘You call it madness, I call it love’ and ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, what I wouldn’t give to have a cuddle with you!’.

On a pebble inscribed for her daughter, resident Jean Sandoe wrote: ‘I am very proud that you have accomplished your dream to become a nurse’.

Sue Miles, The Aldbury’s Companionship Team Leader, said: “We call our new artwork ‘Written from our hearts’. It took us several weeks to put it together. The garden group were discussing how we could repurpose the pebbles we had from the Coronation last year and we thought this would be a lovely idea for a Valentine’s celebration.

“Residents, staff and visitors can have a read of them whenever they are taking a stroll in the garden.”

Around 25 residents and 15 staff responded to the idea by adding messages to the stones.

Resident Valerie Sharpe who helped place the finished pebbles into the heart shape in the garden, said: “We always have good ideas.”

At Colten Care’s Bourne View in Poole, a ‘production line’ of residents and team members created 50 individual cards in the run-up to Valentine’s.

On the big day, the cards were placed on dining tables and lunch trays together with flowers and heart shaped chocolates.

Two of the home’s couples, June and Keith Osborne and Margaret and Albert Langworthy, were also treated to chocolates, tulips and special greetings to help them celebrate. June and Keith’s card featured a black and white photo from their wedding day.

Companionship Team member Julie Wathen said: “There were smiles all round as everyone enjoyed the treats.”

Among Valentine’s parties elsewhere at Colten Care, dementia care home Fernhill in Longham, Dorset, held an afternoon of ‘music, dancing, flowers, chocolate, romance and celebration’.

Heartfelt comments included one from resident Margo Johnson who said to her husband Anthony: “Thank you for loving me,’ while Dori Smith said: “I wasn’t expecting to receive a rose today.”

At Abbey View in Sherborne, couple Roy and Barbara Carne, who have been married for more than 67 years, enjoyed a romantic lunch.