Activities at Maple Leaf Lodge Care Home

Staff and residents celebrated Easter with a whole host of different activities including an Easter coffee morning, spring garden strolls, reminiscing and much more.

Residents enjoyed an eggs-tensive range of Easter activities, from reminiscing about past Easter memories to enjoying a visit from the Easter bunny.  Residents also tucked in to a delicious Easter meal of roast lamb with all the trimmings, followed by a variety of chocolate themed puddings, prepared by the home’s head chef Andrew. 

St Patrick's Day is a special day of fun, celebration and luck! Every year, on March 17th, people across the world come together to honour the patron Saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. 

Staff and residents have been celebrating all things Irish today with green accessories, Irish dancing, Guinness aplenty, baileys, Irish Coffee, armchair travel and a party with entertainment from the wonderful Steve Carmel. 

On Friday 6th February we launched our new Dog Walking Club! Despite the rainy weather stopping us from heading outside, our Dog Walk Club still enjoyed a lovely session indoors. We welcomed in Pippa and Winnie and the residents spent time fussing, cuddling, and chatting with the dogs, bringing plenty of smiles and laughter. We also took gentle walks along the corridors, giving everyone the chance to stretch their legs while enjoying the dogs’ company. 

It was a comforting morning filled with wagging tails, happy residents, and lots of affection, proving that even on a rainy day, the joy of spending time with our four-legged friends can’t be dampened. We hope to see more furry friends in our next Dog Walking Club on Friday 6th March at 10am!     

We’ve been "All Shook Up" as we celebrated the King of Rock 'n' Roll's birthday. What better way to celebrate the King of Rock and Rolls birthday with a party. We spent the day singing along to all our favourite hits. 

There was "A Little Less Conversation" and a lot more laughing as we all tried our very best impersonations of the King himself! To top off the fun, we held an Elvis trivia quiz where we discovered some amazing facts. Did you know that Elvis was a natural blonde, or that he was a twin? It was a wonderful day filled with "Burning Love" and nostalgia, proving that at Maple Leaf, Elvis has definitely not left the building!

We were delighted when the wonderful Michelle, from our local Boots store, got in contact to see if we wanted to use their wonderful memory box. Boots, have been working with Victoria Tischler, Professor of Behavioural Science at the University of Surrey, to develop a project in care homes providing items from the Boots Archive to stimulate interesting discussions and promote positive feelings. Our residents enjoyed a wonderful day of reminiscing. 

The box was filled with familiar health and beauty items, catalogues and pictures from years gone by, classic packaging, nostalgic fragrances, and everyday essentials that sparked meaningful conversation. Residents shared stories of products they remembered using, favourite perfumes from their youth, and memories of visiting Boots on the high street. The room was filled with laughter, fond recollections, and moments of connection as everyone compared experiences and chatted about how things have changed over the decades.    

Mother’s Day is a day to show love, gratitude and appreciation to all the wonderful mums and caregivers everywhere. Residents and staff were spoilt with flowers and chocolates, lots of visitors and some enjoyed a scrumptious morning tea prepared by our kitchen team. Residents reminisced about their roles as mothers and what their favourite part about being a mum is. 

We reminisced about what kind of mums they were and their memories of their children growing up.   

Maple Leaf had a full day of celebrations for Valentine's Day! Throughout the day, residents throughout the home sang their hearts out to classic love songs. During the afternoon, loved ones were invited into the home for an afternoon tea prepared by our Chef, Conner. 

The room was decorated with hints of love everywhere you looked, and our couples expressed how much of a lovely afternoon they had had.  

Celebrations have been in full swing as one of our residents reached her centenary in style.

Beryl was joined by staff, relatives, friends and other residents as she received a telegram from the King in recognition of her landmark birthday. A champagne reception was held at the home and guests enjoyed a special birthday cake made by the home’s chef.

Beryl was Born in Hounslow on the 29/01/1926, Middlesex and moved to south sea when she was 5 years old. Beryl met her husband at 18 years old during the war when she started work at the government war office. Beryl enjoys sharing stories about her life and listening to others. Beryl use to be a member of the WI after retirement and also use to play tennis at Water-low Park and use to enjoy swimming

We had a truly special afternoon thanks to a surprise visit from the wonderful Rob Dixon and his generous donation of beautiful fresh flowers to our home on behalf of local businesses. Residents enjoyed a relaxing and creative flower arranging session, filling the home with colour, fragrance, and lots of smiles. 

The activity brought back fond memories, sparked wonderful conversations, and gave everyone the chance to create their own floral displays to brighten up their rooms and communal areas. A heartfelt thank you to Rob and yet again your thoughtful gesture made a real difference and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Residents and relatives gathered together to enjoy a selection of biscuits and a small splash of Baileys for those who wished to indulge. 

The room was filled with laughter, conversation, and the comforting smell of freshly served treats. Many residents shared memories sparked by the flavours, while others simply relaxed and enjoyed the social atmosphere. The event was a big hit and the residents are already asking when the next one is!    

The 16th March marked the start of Nutrition and Hydration week. We had a top-notch banana visit by residents and staff with a selection of nutritious healthy foods and drinks for all to enjoy. 

Residents were thrilled to try delicious tasting smoothies that were blended with strawberries, kiwi, pineapple and much more. We were also recently joined by Rebecca from The Lincolnshire Nutritionist, who gave a presentation about health and wellbeing where everyone reported they learnt a lot.   

We had a delicious time celebrating National Pizza Day! Staff got into the spirit by dressing up as a giant pizza, which brought lots of smiles and laughter all around. 

Residents enjoyed delicious pizzas from the takeaway with a variety of different flavours, margarita, ham and pineapple, chicken and sweetcorn and pepperoni. Resident Joan shared that she had never had a pizza from a takeaway and when she took a bite of margarita she described it as heaven!       

All the staff and residents wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year. We can’t wait for 2026 and all the exciting things it holds. 

Residents throughout the home have welcome in the fabulous Steve Carmel for a party full of singing and lots of dancing to welcome in the New Year. The was full of celebrations, smiles and lots of confetti!

We got in the Christmas spirit by hosting a Bauble and Bubbles event. Residents enjoyed a wonderfully festive afternoon as we gathered together for our Bauble Making & Bubbly event. The café was filled with laughter, creativity and a touch of sparkle as everyone designed their own personalised Christmas baubles.

Maple Leaf Lodge’s event was in full swing with a glass of bubbly in hand, residents chatted, shared stories, and helped one another bring their ideas to life. From snow and ribbons to mini-Christmas trees and presents, each bauble became a unique keepsake. 

International Men’s Day aims to appreciate and celebrate men and the contribution they make to society. International Men’s Day seeks to encourage men to lead by example and become positive male role models for other men and boys. One of the objectives of celebrating International Men’s Day is to acknowledge the many difficult issues that men face. Prior to the day, residents were asked to nominate all the outstanding men they knew who were working in the home, volunteering or making another valuable contribution to society. Residents were asked to think about the positive value those men bring to the world, their families and communities, and to acknowledge and celebrate that effort. 

During the evening, our gentlemen came together for a ‘Pizza and Pint’ evening as the gents enjoyed a selection of take-away pizza and a choice of ales. Our men were then entertained with pub song classics and old football games. Resident Peter said "It’s great that us men can share common interests and get together like that.