Activities at Bloomfield Care Centre

We had such a special day celebrating Enid’s incredible 105th birthday. It was wonderful to see friends and family come together, filling the room with love, laughter, and cherished memories. 

Her daughter and grandson flew over from Canada to be with her, and we really enjoyed hearing the stories about her incredible globetrotting life, sharing smiles, and marking such an amazing milestone made it a day to remember. 105 amazing years what a truly inspiring life.         

Many Families joined us for a special High Tea afternoon, which our talented chefs kindly prepared. It was a lovely occasion enjoyed by residents and their loved ones. Thank you to everyone who helped make Mothers Day such a special celebration!

A big thank you to ‘Flash Back’ celebrations for our wonderful Mother’s Day arch, kindly donated for the week. Beth Quinn came and set it up for our residents to enjoy, and gave them a wonderful photo opportunity, it received so many lovely compliments.     

We were very lucky to have another wonderful performance from The Panto Divas, which included a couple of our staff members, Ali and Ann, also joining them, Jenny, Peter, Patrick and Teddy the dog. The residents all had a wonderful time watching Aladdin and the residents laughed and sang along. 

We were all given programmes with lyrics, and we were indulged in music from eras that we knew, interwoven in by the cast members who wrote the script themselves, for their audience. Renditions of songs such as ‘Summer Holiday’ and ‘If I were a Rich man’ were enjoyed by all. Oh, yes, we did!

A very happy Lady Peggy had a wonderful time attending her local church for the candlelight service, a place filled with so many cherished memories from the many years she spent there. She was given the loveliest warm welcome by her church family, and it truly meant so much to her to see familiar faces and share such a special time together. Her friend Jean from her community also came along to share the moment. Her friends were delighted to see her and continue to visit her at Bloomfield, which always brings her great joy. Such a heart-warming evening all around. We love helping our residents living their lives to the fullest and to continue with their hobbies. 

We were all very pleased to receive delivery of a brand-new mini-bus. On delivery, we could choose where to take our new bus to. Anne, Ruth and Betty asked to go to the garden centre to purchase some new plants for the garden. Betty and Elaine said how nice the new bus was and nice and comfy. 

Our trips out are regular and everyone looks forward to going out and looking around the local area.

Our residents had a fantastic time celebrating International Day of Dance.

They loved joining in with the belly dancing, and a big thank you to our wonderful Activities Coordinator, Nettie, along with her friends from her dance class, for putting on such a fun and lively performance. They danced in every dining room and down the corridors for as many residents as possible. It truly brought smiles and laughter all around.    

One of our residents Joan, being a Liverpool lady, wished for The Beatles, bringing back fond memories of the fun times she enjoyed at the Cavern Club.

Although we couldn’t bring The Beatles themselves, our Mini Concerts certainly didn’t disappoint and blended beautifully into a fantastic performance by Shelly, who brought all the Beatles hits to life. It was a wonderful journey through the years, filled with music, memories, and smiles all around.           

Aliah from our activities team was happy to bring a bit of culture for the afternoon, serving up a variety of traditional Filipino foods. For tasters, Aliah served vegetable and chicken pancit (a noodle dish), chicken sisig, which is normally served on a hot sizzling plate, and lumpia shanghai, which are spring rolls usually made with pork or beef. For desserts, there were peach and mango float and ube biko, a sticky rice pudding. All these dishes were provided by her family who work within the home, Anna, one of our nurses, and Ron, who is part of the hospitality team.

Several staff members also generously contributed food and desserts. Maja blanca, a coconut dessert topped with cheese, was made by Zarah our nurse. Turon, a banana wrapped in a spring roll wrapper, was made by our night nurse Nissa. Snacks were provided by Reshelle. In the evening, chicken adobo made by Ron was shared so that residents who were unable to attend earlier could still enjoy Filipino food.
Aliah gave a talk about all the different dishes and enjoyed sharing them with the residents as it reminded her of being back in the Philippines. Aliah also wore a traditional dress called a filipiniana which is worn during special occasions. It was wonderful to see the staff and residents all enjoying the food and learning about Filipino culture. 

So many of the staff supported the event and made the food, which made this celebration possible. Their help and enthusiasm made Filipino Day special and memorable for everyone involved. 

We recently enjoyed a truly heart-warming celebration as Bloomfield Care Centre marked a wonderful two-year anniversary of our special connection with Willow from Sing-a-ling, alongside families and friends from Little Star Nursery Paulton. The day was filled with laughter, music and meaningful moments as residents spent time with the children, sharing smiles, stories and festive fun together.

Intergenerational activities like these are incredibly special, bringing different generations together in a way that enriches everyone involved. Residents were delighted by the children’s energy and enthusiasm, while the youngsters enjoyed singing, chatting and celebrating alongside our residents. The atmosphere was full of warmth, joy and togetherness, creating memories that will be cherished long after the day itself.

Celebrations like this highlight the importance of community, connection and shared experiences, and we are proud to create opportunities that bring happiness and purpose to daily life at Bloomfield Care Centre.

We have many trips out in our mini-bus, especially to local Garden Centres. We gather ideas for our garden club, which is a weekly event.

Sandra said that she loved to look at the plants and to pick out ones for our garden. June also liked the flowers and said she is looking forward to seeing them in our garden. 

Alfie really enjoyed looking around and found some local ciders which he was looking forward to tasting.  

At Bloomfield, we kicked off our VE Day celebrations on 7th May with a wonderful afternoon of singing from the D-Day Dollies from Mini Concerts. There wasn’t an empty seat in the Ashway Lounge! Our residents had a brilliant time singing along to classical songs and reminiscing on such a poignant occasion, there were smiles all around. For some of our residents, it was a particularly emotional time.

One resident remembered serving on a Navy ship alongside his colleagues during the war years. It was a touching reminder of the sacrifices and courage shown by that generation. Another remembered being 9 or 10 but not really understanding what it meant but enjoying the street party. One of our gentlemen was in India in the army. He was never deployed to Burma because of VE day. Another recounted the excitement of being 18 and having just met the Polish man serving for Britain whom she would go on to wed and talked about the street parties.

The following day, we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea. A special thank you to our wonderful chefs for the beautiful homemade cakes, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Residents shared memories of past celebrations, and some even remembered the very first VE Day.

The celebrations finished with a fun quiz enjoyed by all!                       

We enjoyed a wonderful performance by the Paulton Ukulele Band. 

The residents had a wonderful time, and it was so lovely to join in with such a friendly group, we listened to a variety of different music, some of which we could sing along to.    

It was such a great atmosphere and music made for a truly enjoyable afternoon. We are looking forward to welcoming them back soon.     

Residents enjoyed an afternoon out at Somerset Coalfield Life at Radstock Museum. They appreciated reminiscing about school life in the 'Victorian schoolroom'. The miniature railway set up reminded everybody about how the trains used to come through Radstock. 

The old horse-drawn bakers’ cart had one of our residents reminiscing about how he used to collect the bread for his mum and get told off for nibbling the crust. We even went into the 'Mineshaft' and saw the model of the young lad wearing the Guss and Crook. One gentleman recounted how he'd been down the Kilmersden mineshaft just before it closed. All in all, a very interesting and engaging trip.   

We were delighted to welcome a truly special visit to Bloomfield Care Centre, as Kelly’s Donkeys joined us for a magical morning filled with smiles and festive cheer. Spike arrived with the wonderful Romeo, who quickly became a favourite as he trotted around the home, charming residents and team members alike. Romeo’s calm and gentle nature meant everyone could enjoy time with him, whether sharing a quiet moment, offering a treat, or simply watching him spread joy throughout the home. Residents were especially delighted to see Romeo happily enjoying his apples and carrots, and many spoke fondly about past memories of animals and countryside life. Visits like these create meaningful moments, spark conversation, and bring genuine happiness to our community, making the day truly unforgettable for everyone involved.

Bloomfield Care Centre promotes wellbeing and gentle exercises. These classes are welcomed by our residents each week. 

Brian said that they have helped with his dexterity, and now he has become a regular visitor to the classes. Peter said that he enjoys being able to do the classes. Peggy said that it’s a lot of fun and looks forward to joining in.