At The Aldbury, our specialist dementia care home in Poole, we recently marked International Friendship Day with a joyful garden celebration filled with colour, music and togetherness.
Residents spent the days leading up to the event painting flags from different countries, proudly displaying them in our summerhouse as a vibrant symbol of global unity. On the day itself, everyone came together in the garden, dressed in bright tie-dye T-shirts featuring messages like Love & Friendship, Harmony, and Together.
Local entertainer Kelly Lorraine led a singalong of well-known friendship-themed songs, bringing smiles and plenty of tapping toes. A raffle held during the party raised over £100 for Prama Life, our chosen charity for the year.
Reflecting on the day, resident Valerie Sharp said:

“It was a great party, very well thought-out and very friendly.”

The celebration was a heartfelt reminder of the bonds we share, not just within The Aldbury, but with our wider community here in Poole.

More Celebrations Across Our Homes
The Aldbury was one of several homes in Dorset and Hampshire to take part in Friendship Day this year.Read how our sister homes marked the occasion

Colten Care teamed up with the charity Parkinson’s UK to stage a Parisian café-style community tea dance, raising more than £1,000 to help people with the condition.

Around 150 people enjoyed the Gallic-themed fun at St George’s Church Hall in Poole which was organised and staffed by Colten Care.

The afternoon featured traditional French songs performed live on accordion, guitar and double bass by costumed New Milton group Café Mondial.

Between dances, partygoers sampled cakes and other patisserie delights specially made for the occasion by expert Colten Care chefs.

As well as many guests with personal connections to the Poole branch of Parkinson’s UK, attendees included dozens of residents from seven Colten Care homes.

These were Avon Cliff in Bournemouth, Fernhill in Ferndown, Amberwood House in Ferndown, Brook View in West Moors and three Poole homes: Canford Chase, Bourne View and The Aldbury.
100-year-old Ethel Wise, who lives at Avon Cliff, said: “I used to travel a lot and have even been to Paris. I had a lovely time at the dance. The music was wonderful.”
Dottie Dixon, a fellow resident at Avon Cliff, said: “I enjoy all the events Colten Care puts on but this one was especially good because it brought lots of the homes together. I enjoyed being able to have a bit of a dance.”

Lindsey Oliver, who has a connection with Parkinson’s UK, said she was delighted to find that one of the Colten Care residents, Myrtle Smith, who now lives at Bourne View in Poole, was her old music teacher.
“I can’t have seen her for over 60 years,” said Lindsey, who added: “This was a spectacular event, marvellous. The organisers did a brilliant job.”
It was the second community dance that Colten Care have organised in partnership with Parkinson’s UK.

Last year, residents and staff from five homes in the New Forest came together in Boldre near Lymington for a similar French-style event that raised more than £700 for the charity’s New Forest branch.

The latest dance was planned through close work over several months between Martin Corrigan, Home Manager of The Aldbury in Poole, and Bob Oliver, chair of Poole & District Parkinson’s Group.
Martin said: “The New Forest event inspired me to lead the charge to do the same for our Bournemouth and Poole homes. I was delighted to work alongside Bob, who lives with Parkinson’s himself and is a huge inspiration. Given that 150,000 people in the UK live with Parkinson’s and it is the fastest growing neurological disease, we’re thrilled that the funds we’ve help to raise will make a much-needed difference and be well received.”
Bob said: “Following an invite to talk at one of The Aldbury’s business breakfast clubs, me and Martin worked closely together to bring the idea to fruition. The aim of all of our events is to create an uplifting community for those living with the disease. The money raised at this event will be used to support people with Parkinson’s living locally. We have a small committee of people who give up their time for nothing. I want to say a huge thank you to Martin and the team at Colten Care for making this event happen.”

To find out more about the care we provide in Bournemouth, Poole and surrounding areas, visit our Find a Care Home page.

Book lovers at The Aldbury were all smiles as they welcomed a fun visit by seven ‘oompa loompas’ from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Staff, relatives and residents at The Aldbury dressed up as members of the classic story’s diminutive workforce and went around the home spreading laughter, sweets and chocolates.

They were joined by a resident’s husband, Stephen Selway, in the role of eccentric chocolatier and entrepreneur Willy Wonka.

And one resident, Pip Smith, posed as Violet Beauregarde, the chewing gum-obsessed girl who, after she can’t resist eating a ‘three-course gum meal’ turns blue and inflates into a giant blueberry.

As the colourful array of characters toured the home, one resident was heard to ask: “Are you multiplying?”.

Afterwards, resident Colin Palmer said: “It was just so funny to see.”
Home Manager Martin Corrigan, himself an oompa loompa on the trip round, said: “We have many book lovers here at The Aldbury.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a favourite as residents used to read it to their children and grandchildren.”
In true Wonka style, the oompa loompas’ visit was followed by an afternoon tea that featured marshmallows and raspberries dipped in a chocolate fountain.

The fun, inspired by the recent World Book Day, included a lucky dip and golden ticket with £45 raised for residents’ charity PramaLife.

Among other literary-themed goings-on at Colten Care homes in the south, team members at Court Lodge in Lymington arranged for resident and avid reader Eileen Drake to revisit her local library.

She spent an afternoon flicking through the pages of various books before deciding on a handful that stood out from different genres which she borrowed and took back to Court Lodge.
Eileen said: “It’s been so long since I’ve visited the library, and I am really happy to have come back. It’s just as lovely as I remember it to be.”
Companionship Team Member Rachel Avetoom said: “There were a group of children singing nursery rhymes at the library, all in costumes for World Book Day. It was heartwarming to see Eileen smiling and enjoying the afternoon being somewhere she loves, with other people from the community. It was a perfect outing for Eileen and we will be sure to visit again.”

Residents at The Aldbury were treated to a special sensory experience when Lush Poole visited for the first time.
The session, organised by Ross, involved 10 residents who had the opportunity to make their very own Comforter Crumble Bars, a bath product made from natural ingredients such as Blackcurrant and Cassis absolute.
Ross began by sharing the fascinating story of Lush’s origins, describing how it all started in a garden shed in 1988 in old town Poole. He also explained how Lush has grown, with stores now across the globe, starting with two in London in 1995.

As the session unfolded, residents eagerly took turns mixing the ingredients, creating a soft and soothing putty that would later set into a beautifully scented product. While the mixture rested, Ross introduced a fun game of Pictionary. The challenge was to sculpt various objects using the rainbow-coloured bath dough, with residents creating shapes such as cats, spiders, fish, and even a teddy bear. Some of the results were humorous, with Terry commenting, “My spider looks more like a skate,” while Muriel, assisted by Victoria, made a lovely fish.
Throughout the session, the residents enjoyed the sensory experience of touching, smelling, and working with the dough. Margaret Loh remarked, “Mmm, it smells nice” as she mixed the ingredients for the Comforter Bar, and Joyce, who had never made soap before, said, “It’s a great experience. I can’t wait to try it.” Valerie found joy in crafting a teddy bear, and Margaret Fitton was delighted by the lovely scent of the bath dough.

The session also introduced the residents to the sustainable sourcing of Lush products. Ross explained that local residents gather and dry seaweed, which is then used in Lush’s bath products, along with other locally sourced ingredients such as charcoal and sand.
To top off the experience, some of the Lush products created during the session will be raffled off to raise money for Prama Life, a charity chosen by The Aldbury.
The event was not only a fun and interactive experience for the residents but also a lovely way to engage their senses, inspire creativity, and connect them with the world outside the home.

Eager residents from The Aldbury flipped for victory when they joined in a community pancake race in Wimborne.
An intrepid party from dedicated dementia care home The Aldbury in Poole travelled to Wimborne for the town’s annual Shrove Tuesday fun.

Frying pan in hand and with cake on pan, residents joined fellow competitors, young and not so young, for the light-hearted competition involving a route round the famous Minster.

As participants raced, cheered on by well-wishers and town folk, the expectation was that they would flip their pancake as they passed each of the four corners of the iconic building.

Taking part in the wheelchair category, The Aldbury’s Valerie Sharp and fellow resident Cynthia Wood came in third and fourth respectively, with the pushing power supplied by Companion Pauline Gauden for Valerie and Minibus Driver Nick Meyers for Cynthia.
Valerie said of the spectacle: “An artist couldn’t paint this picture. It was such a memorable, fun day. This event gave everyone a lift.”

Cynthia said: “It was very good and I was so happy to see everyone enjoying themselves.”
The Wimborne Minster race was a traditional feature of the town’s countdown to Lent in ages past and was revived 27 years ago to become popular once again. The start of the first race of the day is marked by the tolling of the ‘pancake bell’.

The Aldbury Companion Melissa Siat said: “This is a much-loved community tradition in Wimborne that guarantees plenty of fun and laughter, with a touch of friendly competition.

“Our Chef at The Aldbury made our pancakes specially and our residents were only too happy to pop them on the pan, flip them and race along.

“It was a lovely occasion that brought people in the community together for a day of friendship and fun.

The Aldbury’s recent talent show brought together residents, staff, and relatives for an afternoon of entertainment in aid of a good cause. 
The show featured impressive performances from residents and staff, with Pramalife representatives Sue Warr and Lucy Wignall, along with resident Terry Pattison and Nurse Sara Ingram, serving as judges. 

Companion David Harris took first place, getting everyone dancing to the beat of his bongos. Second place went to the Thai Dance Queens, whose graceful traditional performance wowed the audience. 

Other highlights included a piano performance by HCA Aurelija Vasilevskiene, a fun percussion session led by Companionship Team Leader Sue Miles, and a performance of ‘Red Robin’ by resident Elizabeth Kay and daughter Anna. 

Judge and Prama Life representative Sue told staff: “It was such a fun event with lots of talented people.” 

Her colleague Lucy added: “Thank you so much for this afternoon; I had such an amazing time seeing all the incredible talent at The Aldbury and meeting the staff and residents. Thank you again for all your support for Prama, it is very much appreciated.”