Activities at Atfield House Care Home

A resident's wish came true, when a group of residents from Atfield House visited Kew Gardens yesterday. She wished to see the Henry Moore exhibition and yesterday was her day. Her wish came true. We were all delighted to see these massive sculptures in the grounds of Kew with their dynamic and often organic forms. They looked impressive in the landscape. We walked through beautiful flowerbeds and smelled the invigorating scent of trees and flowers after the rain. 

The sunshine and passing clouds were beautiful to behold, and we all gathered in front of the ponds, with a view to the most vibrant colours of flowers, to have a pick-nick. Afterwards, some went into the palm house and others enjoyed the rose garden and more fantastic sculptures. Then we made our way back to the minivan. Everyone enjoyed the outing and quality time spent with special chats with their loved ones and staff members too!     

We had a wonderful time together enjoying our Carnival Ball at Atfield House. Friends and family members joined us in their lovely colourful garments and staff members joined us for a dance in their most beautiful and elaborate dresses.

Residents joined with masquerade masks and danced and waved colourful pom-poms. 

Everyone enjoyed the songs that Mark played on his steel pan drum. Many residents enjoyed a dance and more and more guests and staff members joined the fun. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.

The food and drinks were lovely and everyone enjoyed each other's company. 

The Joy of growing our own !

When from one seed comes lots of vegetables and fruits and a thousand new seeds to sow! 
When we can hold our produce in our hands and feel is weight and see its bright colours..
When we taste the difference in our food…
When we look with wonder at what nature can do…
When we fill our days with joy and care for the living beings around us..
When we see butterflies and bees and birds in our trees…
When sunshine greets us each new day
And we still have water to play,
Food on our tables and smiles to brighten each day..
We are blessed to live through these summer days!
Our Pumpkin is growing now big and strong,
We are so proud to bring it along!
If only we had some clouds to bring us some rain, we all would feel fresher and enjoy a green vista again!

At Atfield House we really enjoyed our harvest this year, that seems so plentiful, and grew from just tiny seeds we planted in Spring! 
Residents and staff members felt the joy of growing our own, as they held the produce in their hands and saw its plentiful result. Our chef enjoys cooking with these special produce and we have the privilege to taste them in our meals. 

Atfield House Care Home Summer Party was accompanied by splendid weather this year. Our chef and his team went out of their way to produce a splendid BBQ lunch for residents and their visitors to enjoy inside or in the garden.

Atfield House was buzzing with visitors, who enjoyed sharing this meal with their loved ones in the shade under a canopy or trees. We carried on the fun by watching our own private circus show, performed by the aerial Sabine at breathtaking heights and with graceful movements. She entertained us also with small tricks, and we all enjoyed a chat from table to table. To top the entertainment, Tracey sang for us her beautiful jazzy songs, enjoyed by all with tea, coffee and cake. The day was marked with a relaxing and joyful atmosphere and the perfect occasion for our new manager to spend quality time with our residents and their visitors, getting to know each other in such a beautiful setting.

Thank you to our chef and his crew, who worked tirelessly, to bring us such a delicious BBQ lunch. Thank you to the hospitality team, who served everyone with joy and delight! Thanks also to the care team, and all staff members who worked behind the scenes for assisting to assist our residents throughout the day. Thanks to our visiting entertainers! 

Thanks to our family members and friends and visitors too, who brought fun, laughter and joy to their loved ones, and to all of us too! 

May the summer continue with joy, fun and laughter for us all.      

At Atfield House, residents and staff members enjoyed preparing for Father's Day together: an art and craft project in our Courtyard made us all think of our fathers, as we coloured in paper fathers and made Father's Day cards. Quiz-time about Father's brought us together thinking about Father's Day too. On Father's Day, we all enjoyed a social get-together with family members, friends and our residents and even staff members popped by to share in the fun. 

We shared memories, listened to Father's Day jokes and enjoyed another lovingly prepared quiz, accompanied by lots of delicious and cool refreshments. A cold beer was also on the table and an ice lolly kept us cool! We had a lovely time together and the dressing up was a lot of fun. 

Mopsa, the Therapy Dog came to see us at Atfield House. She remembered some of us from a previous visit and greeted us joyfully! 

She made the rounds with us from room to room and enjoyed the attention of each person. Everyone smiled when they saw this small and cheerful dog come to their room. She visited the people in the dining rooms and lounges and gave much joy and received many cuddles! 

Residents and staff members alike shared their own dog stories when they met Mopsa. We are looking forward to meeting the dog and owner team again soon! 

What a kind of team they are indeed.

We had a fabulous time once again, listening to Tracey’s jazz songs! There was a beautiful and wide selection of songs and some we had never heard before. Residents and visitors sang along and seemed to know the lyrics to all of them too! We enjoyed Nat King Cole’s special song, called: Unforgettable, and finished with the iconic song, called: When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. 

Everyone felt uplifted by the music and our dining room was filled with people that enjoyed Tracey's songs and also the lovely cakes and drinks which  made us feel even sweeter and satisfied!   

Residents from Atfield House enjoyed a lovely day out at Richmond Park. The weather was beautiful, sunny, but not too hot!
As we drove through the park we spotted the deer`s on our way in and saw many horses and their riders. We stopped off for a pick-nick at the Pen Ponds and saw the riders on their splendid horses, this time very close up!. We saw many wild birds on the pond: There were seagulls, ducks, Canada Geese and a slim Heron.  
After a lovely experience of animals and a small walk back we enjoyed ice cream and drinks at the Kiosk.
This place of natural beauty and great vistas brought back memories to our residents and family members too
Thank you to everyone who helped make this outing so memorable and enjoyable!

Atfield House residents and staff members celebrated the Wimbledon Tennis Games along with the Champions at Wimbledon in their very own way. We kickstarted the season with lots of strawberries and cream that everyone could enjoy while watching the games on TV or also joining in with some special tennis games, played with our handmade cardboard rackets and balloons for easy lifting and safe passing. Residents enjoyed these games from room to room, in our lounges and corridors. 

We had a season of tennis – fun and keeping active, while we followed the games at Wimbledon. We enjoyed it so much, that we may just carry on!   

This year the London Children's Ballet performed for us Ella's Story: A Jazz Age Cinderella!  Residents and their family members and friends already know how good this group is and have been waiting in anticipation for this year's performance again. The room was packed with an audience, ready to be thrilled by the dancers' charm, expertise and smiling faces. 

The costumes and the music and the narration of the story of Cinderella were great and everyone enjoyed the performance. The dancers enjoyed a meet-and-greet opportunity afterwards and residents and their family members and friends enjoyed meeting the children and their teachers too. Overall, it was an uplifting and joy-filled event, and we are looking forward to their next visit already!     

A group of residents, friends, family members and staff members enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the Elizabeth’s pâtisserie on St. Johns Road. Daniel, the pastry chef there, takes pride in making wonderful tasting cakes and tartlets and more. When everyone had their pick from the wide selection, they were served on plates, embellished with sweet designs, like artwork. We sat down outside, enjoying these delights with sunshine, warm wind and lots of cheerful chatter. The residents were smiling, content, to be in such cheerful and chatty company, enjoying everything together on such a lovely day. 

What a special place to visit, just a short walk away from Atfield House!

Residents from Atfield House enjoyed a lovely afternoon together at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park. The weather was just right for this occasion and everyone enjoyed the warm wind, and the views were beautiful! We chatted along, as we enjoyed cakes and drinks together, looking over the valley, watching the planes go by and keeping the wild life at bay, who would have liked to have a taste of our cake too!

We spotted a lovely butterfly around the corner by the flower beds on our walk back to the mini- van. It sat there so long, that we could almost touch it. Our residents shared the experiences with us, they had in Richmond Park, as we strolled through the garden grounds. Truly this place holds special memories of moments shared with loved ones many years ago. That is why these outings to these places are so special! 

Everyone enjoyed the afternoon and we are looking forward to the next outing already!

It’s been a wonderful, informative, and inspiring day in Atfield House as we came together to raise both awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

We were delighted to welcome Andrew, a volunteer from Alzheimer’s Research UK, who delivered an insightful talk on Alzheimer’s, sharing the latest developments in research and helping us better understand this condition.

Residents, families, and staff all joined in the discussions, enjoyed brain games, and, of course, took part in our exciting raffle! It was a truly engaging day, and we’re thrilled to have raised £500 by the end of the event, with more donations still coming in even after it finished.

A huge thank you to our amazing team for organising such a meaningful event, and to all our families, friends, residents, and supporters for their generosity and participation. Together, you have made a real difference..

Finally, a special mention goes to Mother Hope, whose inspiring story encouraged many to support our fundraising efforts.

Residents, family members, friends and staff members enjoyed a lovely outing to the Royal Oak Pub on Friday afternoon. The walk along the Duke of Northumberland river was so lovely and tranquil in the afternoon sun with a gentle breeze. A group of ducks rested on logs in the river and enjoyed a refreshing splash in the water. We all wondered if these were our family of ducks we recently brought back to the river.

What a lovely time we spent together, chatting and ordering cold drinks. With a reserved table in the garden overlooking the river, enjoying our refreshing drinks under a canopy, life seemed to trickle by with the same ease as the flowing water.

Everyone really enjoyed this outing, and it was a birthday treat for one of our residents too. The walk made everything so relaxed and we even felt a hint of an adventure, as we navigated the river to and fro. We are looking forward to more enjoyable afternoons and outings to local areas of beauty.      

For the third year, Mother Hope, that’s the name we gave to the mother duck, has flown in from the nearby river that runs behind the house, to lay her eggs into the Courtyard Garden! We keep her space as undisturbed as possible, and pass by her with a watch and an anticipating gaze! We wonder when the egg will hatch and who will see the little ducklings first! Once they have hatched, the news spreads quickly to everyone: “Have you seen the ducklings?” This news makes everyone rush to the Courtyard Garden, which is the safe place for Mother Hope, as it is completely surrounded by the building and safe from outside dangers.        

Residents, family members and staff all want to see the new arrivals. A container with water will now be available, so the ducks can have a drink and a bath. Food will be provided regularly and when we open the door, the ducks rush to see what they will get to eat!

The residents stroll through the garden, and the ducklings are all around with Mother Hope keeping an eye on her offspring. When we water the plants, the ducklings take the opportunity to be right next to the hose for a sip of fresh water. While weeding, they stroll all around, to get a nib off the plants or any insects. And afternoons are usually siesta time! This whole cycle of developing life has become an interesting and therapeutic experience for us all. We see them grow and trust and develop until the time comes, and they take their flight back to the river, having grown in safety, with love and care and kindness in the Courtyard Garden at Atfield Care Home. And we will await Mother Hopes return the following spring.