Activities at Ashcombe House Care Home

Music is so important, it brings back happy memories, brings people together by encouraging singing, dancing and sharing memories and, most importantly, it provides a sense of joy. This is certainly the case when our harpist, Margaret Watson, comes to play her harp for us.  

Each time Margaret visits the home fills with the magical sound of the harp, as well as giving a concert in the lounge with music and fun information about the workings of the harp, Margaret takes her harp around our home to play for residents who are unable to join us in the lounge. These bedroom visits mean so much to the residents who have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the beautiful sound of the harp. Tony was surprised and delighted when Margaret played her harp to him in his room.  

Residents, visitors and staff were treated to a special afternoon in the company of some magnificent birds of prey. Colin from the charity Wings of Freedom kindly brought along a few of his feathered companions to share with us: Doris the Kestrel, Larry the Lanner Falcon and the very handsome Barn Owl Rocky.

Doris, ever the sociable Kestrel, happily perched in the residents’ arms while Colin told fascinating stories about each bird’s personality and history.  This was a magical opportunity to get up close to birds of prey which we otherwise might never encounter.

Sally said that she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to be so close to the birds, it was so very special.

Rocky, the Barn Owl, visited residents who were unable to join us in the lounge. These room visits are especially meaningful for our residents who may no longer be able to get out to enjoy nature.

We are very grateful to Colin and Wings of Freedom for making the day so memorable.  The afternoon was a reminder of the beauty and freedom of nature, brought right into our home. 

Residents, families and friends joined us for an afternoon of fun and laughter at our Summer Fete.  The weather was perfect, the BBQ was delicious and the ice creams from Pauls Ice Cream Van went down a treat.  The raffle and the Bric a Brac stalls were a hit with lots of great raffle prizes being won.

Shirley, Joan and Bev all said how much they enjoyed themselves, especially the 99 ice cream!

We had some lovely comment about how fabulous the afternoon was, the great atmosphere and the tasty food.  “A beautiful day, great weather, great company, fantastically organised, a lovely afternoon with family and friends.”

Kate and her husband, Alan, asked if they could go on an outing to the Hawk Conservancy. They used to take their girls there when they were children.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather for a day at the Hawk Conservancy. It wasn’t too hot or too windy, just right to watch the spectacular flying displays.  The first show we watched was ‘The Wings of Africa’. It was incredible. The highlights for Kate and Alan included the Secretary Bird taking down a snake and the impressive vultures flying over their heads.

After a lovely picnic lunch, prepared by our amazing chef, Jules, we strolled up to the Wildflower Meadow where black kites and flacons soared right above us. We all agreed it was a breathtaking sight.

We finished our visit with a browse around the gift shop. Kate said it was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Peggy and Joan, two of our residents, first met at Basingstoke High School for Girls 85 years ago at the age of 13 years and have been dear friends ever since.

We took Peggy and Joan on a trip down memory lane to Alresford, a village local to Basingstoke.  As we drove to Alresford along Garlic Lane Joan and Peggy shared how they used to cycle along Garlic lane together as young girls on their way to Alresford.  Peggy said that the roads were very different back then.

When we arrived at Alresford we visited Long Barn where Peggy and Joan enjoyed a coffee and shared a watercress scone while they reminisced about their school days, remember friends they shared and adventures they went on together.

Joan remarked how incredible it is that they're still friends as they approach 100 years old. She said it's truly wonderful that they can continue to share such special moments together.

We took our minibus on an outing to Bournemouth for the day, where we had a fish and chip lunch on the pier, visited the Oceanarium before having a stroll along the seafront enjoying a Mr Whippy ice cream.  

Everyone enjoyed the visit to the Oceanarium. We saw an enormous turtle, playful otters and our favourite Humboldt penguins. Roy said it was fascinating walking through the underground tunnel with the sharks, stingrays and the turtle swimming all around him!

Shirley was delighted to be back in Bournemouth, where she used to live. She said that fish and chips always taste better by the sea. Kay enjoyed the feeling of the sand running through her fingers. She said that it was her perfect day.    

Gracie and Sharky, two incredibly curious and mischievous Squirrel Monkeys from Heytrop Zoological Gardens swung by for a visit.  From the moment they arrived they had everyone smiling.  Jumping from laps to shoulders and even a few heads, pinching tissues and making friends with everyone.  Residents were so surprised at how friendly and playful Gracie and Sharky were.

Shirley said, “I love them, I think they’re lovely,” and Joan loved their little hands climbing on her! She said, “The little monkeys were so sweet.”  

It was such a joy to welcome Gracie and Sharky to our home, the excitement and laughter they brought with them was truly infectious. All our residents were so engaged in sharing such a unique experience together, we are always looking for ways to create memorable moments and this visit certainly did that. Thank you to Gracie, Sharky and Heythrop Zoological Gardens for an afternoon full of monkey magic. 

We had a wonderful morning visiting The Lavender Fields at Harley Park Farm in Selbourne.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  We were amazed at the vibrant purple rows of lavender in full bloom, we took great joy watching the bees busy at work collecting nectar from the flowers and the butterflies fluttering from plant to plant.

Although Peggy has limited vision, she said she could still imagine the beauty of the fields thanks to the strong, sweet scent that filled the air. “You can smell how beautiful it is,” Peggy told us.

After exploring the fields we sat down to enjoy a coffee and a slice of homemade cake in the sunshine overlooking the lavender fields.

The outing to the Lavender was a wonderful way to engage the senses whilst enjoying the outdoors.

One of the Baking For Fun club's chief tasters, Joan, suggested we try to make some shortbread next time we bake. We found a Mary Berry recipe for shortbread biscuits, got together in the café and started to bake!

Baking together promotes social, physical and mental stimulation. Everyone enjoys getting involved in measuring ingredients, mixing, rolling out and getting creative with decorations. It also sparks conversations about baking that our residents used to do at home and what we could try next time we bake together.

Peggy enjoys the Baking For Fun sessions. She said that baking is fun, but she really likes sharing the bakes with all the other residents in the afternoon tea trolley.

Our shortbread turned out beautifully, crisp, buttery and delicious! 

We went on an outing in our minibus to visit Bombay Sapphire Distillery in Whitchurch. While we were there, one of the distillery hosts took us around the old mill, sharing the fascinating history of the buildings and explaining how Bombay Sapphire Gin is made on the site.  Bombay Sapphire has ten exotic botanicals infused into every drop of their Gin, and we were lucky enough to see each of the plants in their beautiful greenhouses.

We visited the Botanical Dry room where we saw and smelt the botanical ingredients before learning about the rare vapour infusion distillation process which makes Bombay Sapphire gin so unique.

Ashcombe house was full of fun when two very special guests, baby goats Lewwy and Mooey came to visit. Everyone was delighted with Lewwy and Mooeys cuddles, laughing at their mischievous ways!

Lewwy quickly became the centre of attention, not just for his adorable face, but for his cheeky habit of chewing anything and everything in sight, especially Shirley’s tissues.  Mooey was the calmer of the two, happily snuggling up on our laps, enjoying all the love and attention.

Joan said, “They were sweet little kids!”

A group of residents had a fantastic afternoon cruising along the Solent on board The Alison McGregor. Solent Dolphin is a charity that runs boat trips on The Alison McGregor. The Alison McGregor is a purpose-built catamaran for 12 passengers including carers that run trips on the Solent from Hythe Marian.

The chef packed a picnic for us which we enjoyed with a lovely hot cup of tea!  Kay, Ann and Roy all got a chance to drive the boat under the captain’s watchful eye!  Kay said that she really enjoyed driving the boat and she’d had the best time. Gerry and his wife used to go on boating holidays on the Norfolk Broads each year. As soon as we got on the boat, Gerry said that he felt at home.

We all enjoyed the sea air, it was such a special afternoon that we will all remember fondly. 

During the last week of the school term, we welcomed pupils from Fairfields School for an afternoon full of fun! The intergenerational visit involved some flower arranging and an exciting game of balloon tennis!

We all took great joy in teaching the children how to arrange flowers in vases. The collaborative activity resulted in a collection of beautiful floral arrangements which brightened up the home. The game of balloon tennis brought laughter and lively energy as both generations joined in the fun, with the older participants keeping the younger ones on their toes and chasing balloons across the room.

Ann said, “It was a joy to have the children visit us. They lit up the room./ I really enjoyed their visit and I can’t wait for them to come back.”

Intergenerational visits bring so much joy to both generations and create moments of mutual learning, laughter and create memories for everyone involved.  

It was a beautiful sunny day when we all boarded ‘Dawn’ for a trip along the Basingstoke Canal.  Dawn is a specially adapted narrow boat run by Accessible Boating, a charity run by volunteers, who enable anyone to enjoy trips on the canal.  We arrived at Odiham where Dawn was waiting for us. Once on board, we started cruising down the Basingstoke canal at 2mph.  Along the way we enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers that grew along the lush green banks. We were lucky to enjoy seeing a heron flying along in front of us.  We stopped by the Waterwitch pub where we tucked into a splendid picnic sitting on ‘our boat’ before we headed back to Odiham.

We all enjoyed the trip immensely. Joan said that the day couldn’t have been better. Ann said it was so wonderful, we all loved it.  Gerry, a keen boater, was so pleased to be back on the water.

We all hope to take another trip along the Basingstoke Canal again very soon.

Our garden is looking beautiful, with all the flowers in full bloom. The colours of the flowers are really vibrant in the sunshine.

The residents gathered together in the garden to relax, soak up the sunshine and enjoy each other’s company. Our chef came round with a selection of ice lollies and ice creams for everyone to enjoy. Staying hydrated is so important in this weather.

Sally said there is nothing quite like good company and a sweet treat on a sunny day!