Activities at The Cedars Bourne Care Home

At our community, coffee morning is getting busier and busier every week! Friends, family and volunteers join our residents each week for chat, music and activities and the atmosphere is wonderful!  

Our volunteers Nigel, Christine and Jo bring laughter and stories that have us (almost) rolling on the floor laughing!

Staff and residents were treated to a live talk entitled ‘Natural Pigments Inspired by South Asian Miniature Painting’ hosted by Holly Power and Rafin Jannat from the V&A South Kensington.

In celebration of National Art in Care Homes Day, residents joined Holly from the V&A Learning team and designer-artist Rafin Jannat for a live make-along. They learned about the stunning work of artists, designers and craftspeople that feature in the South Asia Gallery at the V&A South Kensington

It is with bittersweet feelings that we say Goodbye and Happy Retirement to our wonderful hairdresser Sue. Staff and residents gathered together at coffee morning, to surprise Sue with a party to wish her all the best in her retirement. 

Sue has been pampering our residents with hairdressing and manicures for twenty-six years! With signed cards, flowers and a cake presented by our Senior General Manager Becky Aldred, Sue was so happy to see all of her clients and friends gathered together to say ‘bon voyage’. 

Sue: it's amazing what you have achieved, one resident said "Every time I go in that salon I come out feeling a million dollars", and staff ‘wish you well in your retirement, you've made such strong friendships with residents and staff alike during your time here and we know you'll be back regularly to see us all’.

We all just want to wish you the very, very best for the future and hopefully a little slower pace of life. Best wishes to you from all of us.

Sometimes the most special moments are the ones that are not planned- life at The Cedars is varied and busy; with big group activities every day as well as socialising with residents in their rooms. 

Sometimes residents chose to spend time with their friends; and these unplanned and spontaneous moments are the best ones! Residents create lasting friendships in the home and often meet up to chat and spend time together- it is wonderful to see!
 

A couple from The Cedars celebrated 65 years of marriage this month.  A Sapphire wedding anniversary is a truly remarkable milestone, and on 1st June the happy couple celebrated with a special lunch in acknowledgement of their enduring love and commitment.

Dr Michael McGregor and his wife Margaret moved to Bourne in 1960, when they set up his GP practice. He lived and worked in Bourne caring for the community until his retirement in 1993. There are very few local people who haven’t consulted with Dr McGregor at some point in their lives!
 

This month we worked on ‘finding your inner Monet’ with a masterclass focussed on the iconic Impressionist painter.  

No matter your age or ability, there is always something for everyone in art, and everyone is able to join in, whatever their skill level. The paintings and mindful colouring produced were remarkable.    

Animal therapy is such a benefit to everyone - staff and residents eagerly await our monthly visit; and this month Michelle's Animal Therapy & Petting Party was a full house with over thirty people at the party, as well as individual room visits from Boots the Cat. 

Bert couldn't stop laughing when his new gecko friend took a flying leap from his hand to his shirt! It was another amazing visit, thank you so much Michelle.

The residents and community had an incredibly successful “Giving Back Day” with Sarah-Jayne Knight, team leader in care, organising and holding the event in the beautiful gardens at The Cedars in Bourne. Donations of toiletries, clothes, children’s wear, toys and gifts had flooded in for Sarah-Jayne to redistribute to those in the community in need. 

The sun shone and our Mayor, Councillor Colin Pattison and his wife consort, Fiona Pattison were in attendance. Our residents were thrilled to meet them, and their support to this community venture was immeasurable.

This month we revisited some of our favourite spots: with drive out to Ferry Meadows and a trip to Stamford Garden Centre; as well as exploring Bourne Woods and Clipsham Yew Tree Walk as the weather was too good to stay indoors! It was especially wonderful to be joined by family members for coffee and cake at the café. 

Trips out make such a difference to the lives of our residents; and the beautiful variety of wildlife we have seen is inspirational- including a white hart deer mere feet from us! 

Michelle’s Petting Party came to visit us again for this month’s animal therapy. The residents were thrilled to meet Michelle's latest feathered friends- two ducks and a tiny duckling, along with her beautiful cat Boots, Diego the dog, Doris the Chicken, her two fluffy rabbits, gunnie pig and a bearded dragon. 

It was an afternoon of adorable chaos, and with the addition of a visit from home administrator Leanne's gorgeous grandson, it was an absolute success! 

Swines Meadow Farm Nursery was a step back in time! Filled with curios from antique iron Victorian cow byres and stalls to vintage telephones and weighted sack lifts, we travelled through continents with plants from Asia, America, New Zealand and Africa. It was a treasure to visit! 

Don and Vera had a lovely time exploring the overgrown jungle-like paths in the wild garden, admiring the incredible age of the olive tree (168 years!) and sampling the delicious cakes made with home-grown fruit. "We've had a lovely time!" 

"Its so lovely here...I just wish we could stay all day!"

Such a lovely quote from Joan after seeing, stroking and feeding all the beautiful animals at Tiny Steps Petting Farm. We cannot thank the staff enough for their interaction and engagement with us; and both ladies found the history of the animals very interesting and were very happy that all the animals now had a home for life. The morning was completed with tea and sausage rolls in the sunshine. 

Tonderai Makahamadze at The Cedars has been crowned Registered Nurse of the Year for the North East & Scotland Division in the Barchester Care Awards 2025 and is through to the national round of judging.

The Barchester Care Awards celebrate the staff who go the extra mile for the benefit of the 13,500 residents living in Barchester’s 267 care homes and private hospitals across the country. Categories range from ‘Registered Nurse of the Year’ and ‘Carer of the Year’ to ‘Dementia Care Champion’ and ‘Activities Coordinator of the Year’. 
 

We have been festooning our home with rainbows and enjoying a colourful celebration for Pride month. Lots of the festivities from different parts of the UK and from around the world are available to watch online and residents have had a fantastic time experiencing the different parades and carnivals on offer, making Pride themed artwork and discovering some amazing music made by members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Pride Month takes place from June 1 to June 30 each year as a way to recognise the influence LGBT people have around the world. June was chosen because that is when the Stonewall Riots took place back in 1969. Known as the ‘Mother of Pride’, it was Brenda Howard who coordinated the first LGBT Pride March, as well as sparking the idea for a week of events around Pride Day. These events then developed into the annual LGBT celebrations held every June. 

Becky said: “Our residents love to learn about all kinds of different things, so the diversity offered by Pride Month has been perfect – there is something for everyone. It is so lovely to have the home decorated with rainbows, it makes us so happy to celebrate the inclusivity of Pride Month.”

We had a full week of commemoration, celebration and remembrance this month to make VE80. 
Decorating for VE Day was so much fun - Barbara had us all laughing as she turned herself into a 'VE Day Tree'! The celebrations then got underway with our Resident's Choir performing wartime songs, including They'll be Bluebirds Over (The White Cliffs of Dover), Run, Rabbit, Run, Jerusalem and the new VE80 song 'I'll Remember'. We finished the set with 'We'll Meet Again' to much applause and many smiles. It reminded us all of what we are celebrating and what our families fought for.

We watched with the rest of the nation the service from Westminster Abbey before watching a special Barchester Live Virtual Event by historian Pippa Catterall, in which she discussed the historical import of the day. The week ended with a celebratory VE party, watching the 80-year concert on TV with staff dressed in 1940's medical outfits, and reminiscing about where we were on the day. Everyone agreed it was a very uplifting gala with some fantastic singing and dancing, and how much it was appreciated that the staff made such an effort to evoke some wonderful (and some bittersweet) memories of what is one of the most significant events in living memory.