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.”

Dedicated Scrabble fans from four of our care homes were quick to mind their Ps and Qs as they enjoyed a friendly battle of words in multiple encounters.
Players at our care homes in Dorset and Hampshire pitted their wits against each other to search for the ultimate word score using giant Scrabble boards.

While Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst welcomed friends from Kingfishers in New Milton, there was similar gentle rivalry as Amberwood House in Ferndown took on visitors from Bourne View in Poole.

The inter-home fun, timed to celebrate National Scrabble Day, lasted several hours and featured a sweepstake so non-players could feel involved by guessing the number of words the teams achieved in each game.

At Amberwood House, staff reflected the theme of word play by dressing up as something beginning with the first letter of their name.

Companionship Team Leader Kirsty Richmond-Cole was a Kite, Clinical Lead Hanna Rehbein was a Hot Dog, Home Manager Diane Nicholls was a Dragon, Nurse Anika McQuirk was Alice in Wonderland, and Maintenance Manager Christian Blanch was Clark Kent, unveiling a Superman top from under his shirt.
Kirsty said: “We decided to dress up so residents could have a good laugh and join in with the celebrations even if they had decided not to play. We did have some strange looks and one or two belly laughs. Resident Don Cussen asked us if we had lost our marbles!”
The Bourne View team – Harold Faircloth, Wendy Barnes and Peter Prior – arrived at Amberwood House just before lunch, taking a stroll around the garden and enjoying fish and chips before sitting down for the competition.

In the end, Amberwood House put up three teams itself, with residents Marjorie Hutchings, Rita Bryant and Noreen Hewitt having a closely fought match with Harold, Wendy and Peter.
Kirsty said: “There were some clever moves and a few challenges on words and Marjorie, Rita and Noreen jumped into the lead. But Harold, Wendy and Peter refused to give in and made a word score of 41 which enabled them to go in front. As it went on and with a final push from Marjorie, Rita, and Noreen, Amberwood House cheered with joy as they cleared their rack with a fantastic move and won the game.”
Marjorie said: “It was great to welcome our visitors. Hopefully, it’s the start of more get-togethers. We all love Scrabble, it’s a definite favourite.”

At Woodpeckers, there were also multiple matches with some ties open to family and friends as well as residents.

The most successful residents’ team was Jo Bray, Pam Welch and Molly Wolstenholme.

Companionship Team member Sian Harris said: “Over an hour and a half of playing and 75 words later, Jo’s team were the clear winners with 307 points against 239. Jo also won a prize for the longest word. This prompted a lot of laughter as her word was ‘headstones’.  One resident said, “you have to laugh at these things, even if it’s dark humour!”

There was also National Scrabble Day fun with games between residents living at Avon Cliff home in Bournemouth.

National Scrabble Day is celebrated annually in honour of the game’s creator, an American architect called Alfred Mosher Butts who was born in April 1899 and came up with his invention in 1938.

More than 30 residents from six of our care homes joined forces to sing carols and entertain visitors at a church Christmas tree festival.
Performers from our homes across the New Forest and Christchurch were in fine voice amid the seasonal fun at St Thomas Church in Lymington.

Under the direction of our Music and Arts Partner, professional musician Fiona Pritchard, the choir sang ten carols, adding the gift of Yuletide music to complement a display that numbered more than 60 Christmas trees.

Fiona said: “It was so lovely to be able to bring all the homes together to sing. They rehearse individually and when they come together, the sound is magical.”

Jack Phillips, a resident at Kingfishers in New Milton, said: “It was a great afternoon, I just had the best day.”

As well as Kingfishers, the singers came from Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, Avon Reach in Mudeford and the Lymington homes Belmore Lodge, Court Lodge and Linden House.

The festival, organised as an annual fundraiser by the Friends of St Thomas, ran over five days this year with Colten Care once again one of the partners alongside other businesses, organisations and charities.

As well as the opportunity to sing in public, several of our homes organised arts and crafts sessions in the run-up to the festival so that residents could make decorations for some of the trees on display.
“We are proud to support the festival here in Lymington, especially as three of our homes are just minutes away from the church,” said Laura Davis, Marketing and Communications Manager for Colten Care. “The logistics of bringing six homes together to perform is no mean feat, so hats off to all involved.

“Residents told us just how wonderful the day was, how the relatives were there to support and join in, and how the public were wowed by the fact there were so many residents there and how lovely it was to hear them sing. Everyone was joining in. It’s something people will go out and talk about.

“The residents and relatives had a wonderful afternoon and that is at the heart of why we take part.”
Involvement in the St Thomas Church festival is just one of the many ways our residents are celebrating Christmas this year.

A choir representing five of our homes is singing at a public service at St Peter’s Church in Bournemouth in aid of the disability charity Diverse Abilities. They are Fernhill in Longham, Amberwood House in Ferndown and the Poole homes Bourne View, Canford Chase and The Aldbury.

Bourne View is the venue for a separate rooftop carol concert with residents, families and friends from Amberwood House coming along to join in.

Also in the comfort of their own surroundings, residents at Bourne View, Avon Reach and Kingfishers will welcome visits by fellow carol singers on a ‘road trip’ from the Julia’s House hospice charity.

Children from a nearby day nursery will likewise entertain residents at St Catherines View in Winchester with carols.

At Braemar Lodge in Salisbury, residents and staff created a seasonal wreath tree to feature in an annual tree festival at the city’s St Thomas Church which is traditionally attended by thousands of visitors each year.

Across our 21 homes, residents will also enjoy Christmas fetes and fayres, live music, pantomimes, gala lunches and dinners, and a host of festive games and competitions.

From makeovers and foot spas to gifts for children in hospital, Colten Care homes across the south have been enjoying giving and receiving Random Acts of Kindness
Random Acts of Kindness Week takes place in February every year and urges people to ‘make someone’s day’ with a kind gesture.

Rose Arcellana our Companion Team Leader explained: “We discovered the Random Acts of Kindness campaign at the start of the pandemic and have found it to be a lovely way to make an extra fuss of our residents while they have been apart from their families. “We really enjoy figuring out ways to make each other smile with lovely treats.

“Among those enjoyed by our residents this year were a hair makeover for Betty Kilford and a relaxing foot spa for Pat Dartnell.
“Our special and very popular ‘shop trolley’ was a result of one of our residents’ meetings and has been a great way of helping our residents access their favourite treats such as chocolates, biscuits and toiletries while they haven’t been able to go out to the shops.”
Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, got ‘crafty’ for Random Acts of Kindness Week, with residents making flower-festooned hearts and greeting cards which they filled with kind messages and handed out to staff, visitors and family members.

The home also approached its local Tesco and Co-op supermarkets and florist Corbin’s for donations, so it could place small floral posies wrapped by the residents on benches throughout the village.

At Abbotts Barton residents and staff made up small care packages for children being treated in the city’s hospital, to cheer them up and let them know all at the home were thinking of them.

And at Wellington Grange residents enjoyed decorating jam jars, which they filled with tea light candles and placed on the doorsteps of their neighbours in the local community around the home.

Abbey View  also took its Random Acts of Kindness ‘on the road’, using the home minibus to place small clay hearts with a kind message on them at different locations around the town. Notes attached asked people finding them to take a photo of themselves with the hearts and email them back to the home, saying what the gift had meant to them. Abbey View intends to make a special display of photographs they receive.

Two of the South’s oldest residents celebrated birthdays within a week of each other at our home.
Staff made sure great grandmothers Irene Harris, 105, and Marjorie Nutton, 101, both had special wishes granted.

Rose Arcellana, Companionship Team leader, said: “When we asked Irene what she wanted to do, she said she would love to be treated like a Queen for the day.
“Her wish was our command. We dressed her with a crown and a gown and laid out a red carpet so she could arrive at her very own royal afternoon tea party in style.
“For her part, Marjorie was able to welcome her three sons, daughter, son-in-law and grandson for a wonderful family get-together.
“She also received lots of beautiful flowers and Postcards of Kindness from well-wishers across the UK.”
Home Manager, said: “When you consider that Irene was born during the First World War, and Marjorie just three years after, it shows how remarkable these ladies’ lifetimes have been.
“It was truly an honour and a privilege to help them celebrate their happy birthdays.”
Irene’s earliest memories are of walking in her home city of Birmingham at a time when horse and carts were still a common sight in the streets.

During the Second World War she served in a munitions factory while Lancashire-born Marjorie was a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
Reflecting on her ‘regal birthday’ at Kingfishers, Irene said: “I am delighted and I thank everyone for making my wishes come true.”
[caption id="attachment_3443" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Irene Harris enjoys her 105th birthday celebrations at Colten Care’s Kingfishers care home in New Milton, Hampshire.[/caption]