Activities at Hempton Field Care Home

Hempton Field residents, staff and visitors had a wonderful time with a visit from Lucia’s Tiny Farm. We met Bernard the bearded dragon, Pepper the tortoise, Rosy and Joey the rabbits, Maggie the chicken, lots of Guinea pigs including Adele, Lola and Baby Lou at only 8 weeks old.

Everyone absolutely loved their cuddles with the rabbits and guinea pigs and the braver also met the rats and Bernard! Maggie strolled all around taking in the home and courtyard.

The famous Hempton Field home-made shortbread biscuits were handed out along with some Easter chocolate treats. Thank you so much to the team who bought today together and to everyone who attended, it was lovely to see families with all generations joining in. One family there were four generations attending, which is wonderful.

Hempton Field have launched our monthly pudding club and we started with the theme of custard. There were traditional favourites like trifle and egg custard tarts, as well as some new ideas including baked custard with nutmeg and a lemon custard cake. Every pudding was delicious, but the top of the list was the lemon custard cake with residents requesting that Heather makes this again soon!

Hempton Field have entered the Barchester Easter Cake Competition there are two categories, residents and professionals. The residents had a lovely afternoon baking and creating. We all discussed ideas and came up with the concept of the nest, we made a rich chocolate cake, with a chocolate butter cream filling and then the fun really started making our nest out of vermicelli. The chicks looked very happy with their edible home!

Heather's cake was a traditional sponge in an egg shape with very pretty flowers and leaf detailing giving a real feeling of spring.

Everyone really enjoyed working on the cakes and then all then really liked eating all our hard work!

Hempton Field residents enjoyed a visit to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People cafe at The Grange their head office. Everyone had delicious coffee and cake and we had the bonus of the home's chiropodist, Susan coming into the centre to collect some things for her foster dog. We heard all about how she is a Hearing Dog fosterer and has been for many years. The charity rely on those who foster the dogs for the first 12-18 months of their life and socialise the dogs ready to become a Hearing Dog. The residents also enjoyed watching the film about the work of the charity.

Hempton Field visited the volunteers at the Mill Lane Community Garden in Chinnor and also took along some home-made cakes made by our hospitality team for the garden's Mother's Day Afternoon Tea that took place today. It was an afternoon tea along with planting of sweet peas and nasturtiums.

The garden volunteers kindly gave our Head Chef Heather some spinach and kale for the home. Heather plans to use the kale and spinach as part of Nutrition and Hydration Week it is wonderful to have such local produce. The residents are also going to visit a local garden centre to plant seeds for the community garden.

This week we linked up with all Barchester care homes and hospitals across the country for Barchester’s Bingo Bonanza. Hempton Field residents were treated to some exciting virtual games of Bingo as part of Barchester’ very own game show series.

We all had a fantastic time and enjoyed some friendly competition.