Activities at Hickathrift House Care Home
Our teams are trained to enrich the lives of residents through stimulating the mind, body and soul, and taking the time to learn about each person to ensure everyone receives support that adds enrichment to their life.
We have two Activities Coordinators here at Hickathrift House. We have a wide range of activities within the home, including musical entertainment, arts & crafts, clubs for like-minded people, such as flower arranging and gardening, board games, baking (where the best bit is the eating afterwards!), and we celebrate special events throughout the year. We also have trips out on a regular basis using our own minibus, where we find out places of interest each person would like to visit.
It is important to us that each individual who we support can get as much from these activities as possible, so we try our best to arrange activities that reflect their interests and capabilities, and encourage them to participate in any way they can. We also encourage relatives to join in with activities and events as often as they can.
For the less mobile residents, we unique one-to-one session, such as simple chats over a cup of tea, reading or listening to music. Activities are some of the most important aspects of a care home, so it is essential that our team are dedicated to ensuring that residents are entertained, and that life at Hickathrift House is fun and active.


Kat Colangelo
Hello, my name is Kat and I am the Activities Lead here at Hickathrift House.
Since 2017 I have been working in the field of well-being and I am passionate and enthusiastic about enriching all our of residents' quality of life.
As the Activities Lead at Hickathrift House, my focus is learning about each of our resident's likes and dislikes and supporting them to remain receptive and active in addition to supporting them to engage with our local community friends.
I organise activities to stimulate the mind, body and soul in an enjoyable, comfortable way. My aim is to diversify and increase activities ensuring that there is something for everyone - from Wine and Cheese events, excursions on our home Mini Bus as well as individual bespoke person-centered activities.
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 Hickathrift House Care Home



Peterborough football stadium
Residents set off on an exciting adventure with a singular mission in mind - to cheer on Wisbech Town in the highly tense but friendly under 11s match.
There we were cheering on the red team and reminiscing about playing football in our younger years. We were ever so excited to see these young talents play on such an impressive pitch. All the children did an amazing job, and we were blown away by their skill and passion.
Kath said, "I know we're supporting the red team, but how amazing it is to see all their dedication at such a young age. It was a brilliant evening. Thank you".


Celebrating National Garden Day
We celebrated National Garden Week with an assortment of activities to interest everyone. We loved testing our minds in a Spring flower picture quiz, reminiscing with our garden sensory trolley, getting out in the garden for our gardening club, decoupaging flower pots with Debbie from Gratitude 43 in our craft club and enjoying floral aromatherapy in the home.
We were also thrilled to visit a garden centre in Downham Market, recommended to us by our respite resident Myrtle. Myrtle said, “I remember coming here when it first opened, and it’s just continued to expand. I’m thrilled to be back here again!”



World Cocktail Day
We have had a splendid time celebrating World Cocktail Day. At our most recent Residents meeting we discovered the residents' top three favourite cocktails; a gin and tonic, bloody mary and a classic 1960s snowball. Our tipsy trolley was dressed to impress with martini glasses, these delicious drinks and the artwork made by residents earlier in the day. We also had various non-alcoholic cocktails, such as no-ijto, for everyone to join in the fun.
Betty said, "I haven't had a snowball in years. It was my go-to drink that we'd have on special occasions like birthdays and promotions at work. Some good memories attached to this drink".



Virtual Trip through Postal History
Residents and staff explored 500 years of Postal History during a Live Virtual Event with The Postal Museum alongside the General Manager, Paula Melerski.
From the early days of Henry VIII’s couriers to the modern postal network, we learnt about the incredible innovations that kept Britain connected through the centuries. It was a fascinating talk by Sharon and made even more special thanks to Paula who was an avid stamp collector and showcased her incredible collection.
Everyone enjoyed seeing the different stamps and reminiscing about their own collections when they were little. There were collections that matched residents’ interests, from Nobel Prize winners to horse racing, and sparked wonderful conversations. Residents also loved reading Oomph Wellness' fun facts about the penny black stamp and wrote back to some wonderful pen pals too. It was a fantastic afternoon together!



Here comes the sun!
Is there anything better than listening to amazing live music and enjoying a cold brew on a warm day? We don't think so at Hickathrift House.
Residents enjoyed a fabulous afternoon with The Rummuns with a delicious beer tasting trolley. The music, beer and conversation were flowing all afternoon and many arms waving in the air and songs being sung.
Residents all have fond memories of the old pubs in Wisbech and Kings Lynn and shared memories of their days spent in them. We talked about the music they played in the pubs, the bar singers they saw, the friendships they made and for some when they worked as a bar lady and pub owner. The afternoon was truly enjoyed by all.



Easter at Hickathrift!
We’ve had an egg-citing time at Hickathrift during this year’s Easter celebrations. The Easter bunny hopped around the home, bringing laughter and delicious chocolate treats to everyone. Everyone loved the bunny hugs and singing the Easter bunny song together. The residents could pick between white, milk and dark chocolate as well as sweet baskets to ensure there was something sweet for everyone.
Marjorie said, “Oh how sweet it is that you’ve come to visit us. I’ll make sure to share this with my friends and family”.
Upcoming events

Understanding Dementia Information Event - 17th June
Understanding Dementia with a person-centred approach, join us for an informative talk. All welcome

June - Community Events
Hello June! We hope you can join us throughout the month - all welcome.


Professionals Lunch - 24th July
Following our recent refurbishment, we would love you to join us at our professional lunch and see the exciting changes!

Emergency Services Break
Calling all emergency personnel! Come and take a break with us - there may be a cake or two available!

Volunteer Coffee Morning - every Tuesday
We recognise the special impact volunteers can have on the lives of our residents and we hope you can join us.

Don't Dine Alone - Every Wednesday
We know meal times can be lonely for seniors in our local community and we invite you to join us for lunch. *places are limited.

Community Cafe - Last Tuesday of the month
Come along and meet with friends over refreshments and homemade cake.

Monday Matinee – Dementia Friendly Film Club
Monday Matinée – Dementia Friendly Film Club - 2nd Monday of the month from 2.00 pm

Knit and Natter - 3rd Friday of the month
Do you enjoy knitting? Come along and make new friends at our monthly Knit and Natter group - all welcome.

Coffee Morning - 2nd Friday of the month from 10.30 am
We extend a warm invitation for you to join us at our monthly Coffee Morning - make new friends and enjoy a slice of homemade cake.