Activities at Cubbington Mill Care Home
Every day we run different activities throughout our home. The activities are designed and adapted to each individuals personal needs. The activities are designed to mentally and physically stimulate the people we care for and also to enhance their life skills and feelings of purpose and self-worth. The activities encourage interaction on a one to one basis, in small groups, in large groups and some are designed for the whole home including staff to be involved in.
We are registered with the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) which ensures we are able to achieve and continually progress to enhance the quality of life for those we support in the home. We provide entertainers such as singers, musicians, magicians, puppeteers, poets and dancers. We also have regular exercise classes and arts and craft classes. Relatives and visitors will be able to see what me make in these classes on display around the home. We have regular trips out on the mini bus to visit garden centres, enjoy high tea, visit the butterfly farm and spend the day at the zoo with a picnic. We encourage the local community, schools, colleges and relatives to come and join us for activities, tea and cake and to visit to share their skills as much as possible.
Staff from across the home are always willing to help and share their knowledge and skills across a whole range of activities we have had everything from carers preforming Bollywood style dancing to cooking classes from the chef. We feel activities are a vital part of the residents lives to ensure they are stimulated mentally and entertained.
Rose Tucker
Hi my name is Rose and I am the activities coordinator at Cubbington Mill!
I have been working in care since I was 17 and very passionate about my role, always trying to do bigger & better. I am one of Cubbington Mills Dementia Champions. I'm very privileged to work with the wonderful people and residents at Barchester's Cubbington Mill and hope we all make some lovely memories together! I LOVE to find out about residents interests & hobbies through tools like the “Getting To Know Me Booklets”.
We are always open to new ideas. If you would like to get involved in any of our Life Enrichment activities or have a skill, or project you'd like to share with our residents, please click here to contact me direct. New entertainers and community links are always welcome.
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
Activities and Events Partnerships
As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies
Life at Cubbington Mill Care Home
Armistice Day Remembered
Staff and residents commemorated the signing of the Armistice Day agreement on the day that the guns finally fell silent. They joined the rest of the United Kingdom in holding a two-minute silence at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month.
As well as marking Armistice Day by wearing poppies and observing the national two minute silence, residents enjoyed a live event hosted by English National Ballet. Associate Dance Artist, Richard Bermange, led a creative dance workshop which was followed by a special extract of Akram Khan’s work Dust. Dusk premiered in 2014 as part of their Lest We Forget programme, commemorating the First World War. They were then invited to sing along to their favourite wartime songs which were accompanied by piano, Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ was sang with heartfelt emotion across the home.
Zoe, a resident at Cubbington Mill said: “It is very important that we keep the memories of those who fought alive and that we also think about those involved in conflicts around the world today.”
Dimpho Kavanagh, General Manager at Cubbington Mill, said: “We have many residents with personal ties to the military and many who have experienced conflict either at home or abroad so it was important to us to mark November 11th and honour the contribution of everyone involved in the World Wars and in subsequent conflicts.”
VIP Guide Dog; Bobby
Following a recently visit from Guide Dog speakers Carrie and Marie-Claire, resident Christine mentioned her beloved Guide Dog stud, Kane. Christine took on the role of Breeding Dog Holder and raised Kane for 8 years before he moved to a new home to live out the rest of his life. Kane was a very special dog not only to Christine but also to Guide Dogs UK as he made history as the first stud to have his embryo’s frozen!
Carrie, a Breeding Dog Holder from Guide Dogs UK paid Christine a special visit recently with her retired stud dog, Bobby. They spent the afternoon discussing the role of a Breeding Dog Holder/Volunteer for Guide Dogs UK and the passion which they both share. Christine recalled memories of raising Kane and his wonderful personality which was much like Bobby’s. Kane sired over 200 puppies thanks to Christine’s support and dedication.
Staff have heard all about the wonderful Kane and his beautiful pictures are displayed in Christine’s room for all to see. Everyone at Cubbington Mill knows just how much he meant to Christine so they all wanted to be there to see the smile on her face when she met Bobby for the first time.
In response to this wonderful surprise, Christine, said: “I feel so lucky to have met Carrie and Bobby who remind me how important the role of a Breeding Dog Holder for Guide Dogs UK is. It has been lovely to talk to someone who I share similar experiences with and I have loved hearing about how the charity has progressed throughout the years. They help so many people in the UK and these dogs are so special to everyone who has had a chance to be helped by them. I want to thank the staff at Cubbington Mill for making this possible and a big thank you to Carrie for taking her time out to see me. I am so glad Bobby is just as loved as Kane was.”
Dimpho Kavanagh, General Manager at the home, said: “We want everyone we care for to know how important they are to us here at Cubbington Mill. It was so nice to see how happy Christine was – and the staff loved being a part of this as well.”
‘Festival of Lights’ – Diwali
On the 4th November we celebrated the start of the Hindu festival of Diwali, popularly known as the ‘festival of lights’. Diwali honours Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, the lamps help Lakshmi find her way into people’s homes.
Residents helped with making colourful patterned rangoli and had a go at the traditional card game Teen Patti. Chef, David prepared a traditional Indian curry for the residents to enjoy for lunch today. We were joined by carer, Nishta in the afternoon who showcased her beautiful Indian dress to residents. Divisonal Hospitality Manager, Christophe joined for celebrations and put on a fantastic magic performance for them.
Zoe resident at Cubbington Mill commented: “I love all of the different cultural events that we celebrate here, there’s always something going on. I especially like the religious festivals from other cultures, it makes me feel like I am travelling abroad!”
Dimpho Kavanagh, General Manager at Cubbington Mill, said: “To celebrate Diwali at the home was fantastic, the colourful decorations created a very wonderful atmosphere and our chef excelled himself – everyone had a fantastic time.”
The Day of the Dead Bakes
The day of the dead takes place on November 2nd each year, the tradition was founded in Mexico but it is now celebrated all over Latin America. Far from a day of mourning, el dia de los muertos is a celebration of the beauty of life, a day to remember loved ones and share fond memories. People dress up for the festivities with outlandish costumes and face painting, they decorate their homes with colourful skulls (calaveras) and skeletons (calacas) for the occasion.
Residents watched clips of the colourful Day of the Dead parades that take place all across South America. Head chef, Oliver Hopkins hosted a cooking class and explained to residents the step by step process of bread making. They made a traditional Pan de Muertos (Day of the Dead bread) and reminisced about their loved ones.
Resident, Betty, commented: “We have had a fantastic day today – it was wonderful to see the videos of all the costumes and parades. We all enjoyed the fabulous traditional Mexican baking and dancing to the mariachi music.”
Guide Dogs UK Delight
Residents have enjoyed a wonderful talk from Carrie, Marie-Claire and her guide dog Faith this afternoon. They have learnt all about Marie-Claire’s positive experience with Guide Dogs UK and are helping to raise money for their 90th appeal!
Pumpkin Patch Trick or Treats
Our residents have been getting into the Halloween spirit with a special visit from the children of Happy Days!
They visited Cubbington Mill dressed up in wonderful Halloween costumes! Carer, Lorraine was ready to welcome them with lots of sweets to fill their trick or treat bags as residents waved from the dining room. In return, they made residents handmade cards filled with spooky designs.
