Activities at Sycamore Grove Care Home

We have a regular flower club for all the residents to enjoy and make the most of our activities co-ordinator, Wendy, who is a trained florist. This week we had a creative afternoon making table arrangements using roses, carnations and chrysanthemums. We all agreed on how beautiful they looked.  

Flower club is a firm favourite with a lot of our residents, and we are so lucky to have Wendy to do this. It also makes our home look and smell beautiful.

During the recent good weather, the residents spent a glorious morning at the wonderful Staverton Nursery at Halland. The heady scents and vivid colours delighted the senses and the diversity of the plants challenged their knowledge. 

Residents enjoyed choosing plants to take home and planting in the raised beds.  

Residents and staff have been celebrating National Carers’ Week, which took place from June 8-14. Residents wanted to thank all the wonderful staff at the home, whose hard work and dedication make a real difference to the lives of those living in their care. 

Carers Week is an annual event to raise awareness of caring, highlighting the challenges carers face, and recognising the contribution they make to our residents, families and communities throughout the UK. 

Staff were treated to a hamper full of goodies.       

We marked the 81st anniversary of Victory in Europe Day in style. The home was decorated in red, white and blue and residents enjoyed an afternoon of music from that era which turned into a harmonious sing-along.

The residents spent time reminiscing and discussing personal recollections of VE Day and the impact on their families and their lives. There was a sense of eternal gratitude and due honour for all those that we remember on this day.

A cream tea was enjoyed by all.          

We recently paid our first visit of the year to Bluebell Woods in Arlington.

The weather was glorious for a ramble in the woods and what a beautiful sight was waiting. There were carpets of bluebells, swathes of wood anemone and pale primroses. The scent was divine and the peace and tranquillity uplifting. 

The residents here always look forward to this time of year, visiting the bluebells is a firm favourite. The residents were captivated and delighted.          

Residents were all excited about the start of Wimbledon on June 29th, gathered by the TV with delicious strawberries and cream, all washed down with a glass of Pimms. 

Tennis fans at Sycamore Grove were delighted to be able to watch this year’s 139th Championships. Wimbledon is a firm favourite in our home.

The residents at Sycamore love to read poetry and discuss what constitutes poetry. There are regular Rhyme and Reason sessions held in the home where residents listen to works by their favourite poets like Wordsworth, Shakespeare, Burns, Lear Stevenson and Carroll. 

In our June session, we read examples of serious, romantic and nonsense poems with reflective responses which brought laughter and good conversations.

Residents enjoyed a trip to St Nicolas Church in Pevensey to visit the Flower Festival. 

It was a very special visit for our residents. The festival was all about the bells, celebrating the restoration of the church and the bells in particular. 

We spent the previous day with our activities co-ordinator Wendy, creating our own beautiful displays to have in the home. She spent time with residents answering questions about her years as a florist.       

We celebrated National Gardening Week, which took place from 27 April to 3 May. Ever since it was first celebrated in 2012, National Gardening Week has grown in popularity. The week raises awareness of the difference gardens and gardening can make to everyone’s lives and helps to inspire people to experience the joy of growing and creating beautiful green spaces.

The focus for this year’s National Gardening Week is on ‘getting curious’ in the garden. The week aims to get people to slow down, look closer, deepen their connection with outdoor spaces and discover the small wonders of nature.

Residents, staff and volunteers took part in the week getting our garden ready for the summer.          

We were very proud to host the local WI Group for their Annual General Meeting. 

The meeting took place in one of our lounges and was followed by an afternoon tea in our dining room. Our chef, Enrico, produced an amazing spread of sandwiches and savoury and sweet treats for all to enjoy.
We are extremely grateful to our local WI group for their help and support since our home opened almost three years ago. They have promoted our knit and natter group and attended regularly. 

They have initiated projects such as knitted blankets and even a knitted Christmas tree which was displayed at the local church. We were so happy to host them and look forward to all our future gatherings.       

On Ladies Day at Ascot, residents at Sycamore Grove spent time watching the races at Ascot and drinking Pimms. Between the races, the chef provided home-baked scones with jam, cream & strawberries and everyone picked a horse for each race, culminating in the Gold Cup at 4.15pm.   

The lucky winners got a small cup as a memento which they found amusing. The ladies wore the hats they had crafted and the gentleman wore a top hat. This was truly a fun afternoon.

Residents and staff dressed to impress, donned their best hats, studied the form and had their bets at the ready for Royal Ascot, which ran from 16th – 20th June.

Residents and staff got together to watch the races, and also celebrated in true Royal Ascot fashion by having a glass of Pimm’s and a cream tea.    

Staff and residents had a lovely afternoon celebrating cultures from around the world. Our staff brought artefacts to display and discuss, and we all enjoyed culinary delights from various different countries. Many countries were represented, including Germany, Belgium, China and Nigeria, where the magnificent costume originated.

Residents, their relatives and staff all got involved with the spirit of the day and dressed up in National costumes. 

We recently marked National Tea Day in style by brewing up a storm and having an afternoon tea party.

Our residents were busy at the beginning of the week baking scones ready for the celebration. Our Head chef Dirk whipped up a tasty selection of freshly-baked biscuits with different jams and cream to go with the scones for the occasion, all washed down with a selection of different teas.           

Our residents  celebrated Mother’s Day with visits and video calls from family members near and far. The home was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and bunting for the occasion.

Staff at Sycamore Grove arranged a cocktail cart for the residents to enjoy. Our chef, Enrico, prepared a special afternoon tea with a selection of sandwiches and savoury scones to mark the day.