Men’s club launched at Fernhill dementia care home

Fernhill dementia care home has launched a men’s club so male residents can enjoy DIY activities over a pint and blokey chat.

Club meetings are taking place at Fernhill in Longham near Bournemouth with support from team members including care, companionship and maintenance staff.

The group’s first project has involved building birdhouses for the garden, some of which will be sold in aid of charity at the home’s forthcoming summer fete.

Cara Duroe, Fernhill’s Companionship Team Leader, said: “In a chat with residents, it became apparent that some of our men missed having ‘do it yourself’ tasks. This kind of thing gives many men a sense of purpose.

“We support a lot of hobbies and activities that are female-led, so we decided to create a space in which men can celebrate their past DIY projects and hobbies and reminisce over a pint and games.”

Maintenance Manager Barry Mathews said: “We thought we could focus on male hobbies and create a space in which they could be themselves, be a man.

“The idea is to create a club where our male residents feel comfortable and can chat over a beer and a game of dominoes or have an ongoing DIY project to complete.”

Club members worked on the garden birdhouses from pieces of wood kindly cut and supplied by the partner of Fernhill’s Care Co-ordinator Felicity Hopkins.

Once the houses were sanded down and built, other residents – including ladies – were invited to help paint and decorate them.

Cara added: “This was a lovely first project to work on. The club had a lot of fun and it wasn’t long before we began discussing what the next DIY activity should be.”

The birdhouses for sale will feature at Fernhill’s summer fete on Saturday 3 August 2024. Proceeds will go to the residents’ charity of the year, Dorset Girl Guides.