Activities at The Fernes Care Home

We are so excited to introduce our wonderful new Pets as Therapy dog, Waffle! 

Waffle is a three-year-old long-haired dachshund who visited our home for the very first time yesterday, accompanied by his lovely owner, Claire. From the moment they arrived, they brought smiles, warmth and plenty of excitement to our residents.

It’s safe to say that Waffle was an instant hit! Residents absolutely adored spending time with him, enjoying lots of fuss, cuddles and conversation. The positive impact animals can have on wellbeing is truly remarkable, and we are delighted to be welcoming Waffle into our home on a regular basis.

We can’t wait to add Waffle to our activity schedules, including room visits for those who prefer to stay in their own space, ensuring as many residents as possible can enjoy the comfort, companionship and therapeutic benefits that he brings.

A huge thank you to Claire for sharing Waffle with us. We are looking forward to many happy visits ahead! 

Residents have enjoyed Barchester's live Scotch and Whiskey event this month, even though residents did not want to drink the alcohol we arrange for some original Whiskey infused coffee from Scottland to be brought o the home! Residents enjoyed the coffees with biscuits and each other’s company whilst engaged with the live event on the screen!

This afternoon, our residents enjoyed a wonderfully relaxed and sociable gin tasting session, inspired by a lovely conversation about favourite drinks. Our Activities Lead, Gemma – who is rather partial to a cheeky gin herself – brought in a delightful selection of flavoured gins, along with a variety of tonics and lemonades.

We transformed part of our ground floor into a charming little tasting area, where the ladies sampled different blends, enjoyed some light nibbles, and shared plenty of laughter along the way. It was a fantastic opportunity to try something new, with many residents experiencing flavoured gin for the very first time!                  

One of the standout favourites of the afternoon was the delicious rhubarb and ginger gin – a real hit!

We also spent time learning about the different gins, where they come from, and what makes each one unique, making it both a fun and engaging experience.

All drinks were served in small, measured amounts, ensuring everything was enjoyed safely and responsibly in a calm and supportive environment.

A truly lovely afternoon filled with smiles, stories, and a touch of something special.

One of our minibus trips this month was just as special, making the most of the beautiful sunshine with a visit to Daedalus Airfield. Our gents had a fantastic time watching helicopters – including the police helicopter – and light aircraft taking off and landing. There’s something truly captivating about being so close to the action! 

Of course, no trip is complete without refreshments, and they enjoyed sitting out, soaking up the sunshine and the atmosphere.

To celebrate Australia Day, we brought a little "I'’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” fun into our home with a game of What’s in the Box.

Residents bravely popped their hands into the box to guess the object without looking… while everyone else could see exactly what they were holding! The guesses were absolutely hilarious and had us all in stitches.

No creepy crawlies here – just everyday items from around our home – but plenty of laughter, surprise and good-natured fun. It was such a simple game, yet brought so much joy and togetherness to our day.

A fantastic Australia Day celebration filled with smiles, laughter and great company.      

Today we got creative with a wonderful recycling project, transforming old books that had seen better days – with missing pages or no longer suitable for reading – into beautiful flower book vases.

At first, some of our residents were a little unsure of what the finished creation would look like, but with guidance from Gemma in Activities, everyone soon got stuck in. As the project began to take shape, the excitement grew, and the finished results certainly did not disappoint!

The handmade book vases look absolutely fantastic and are now proudly displayed throughout our home, brightening up our reading nooks and creating a lovely feature in reception. Not only have we given new life to books that could no longer be enjoyed in the traditional way, but we have also added colour, creativity and personality to our surroundings.

Most importantly, our residents were incredibly proud of what they achieved. Seeing their finished creations on display around the home has brought lots of smiles and a real sense of accomplishment.

Our Top Floor residents have enjoyed a lovely week of flower arranging after watching the beautiful Chelsea Flower Show on the TV  Together we created some gorgeous flower displays for around our home whilst enjoying a wonderful social afternoon filled with chats, laughter and creativity. A lovely way to brighten everyone’s day!

Today’s minibus trip took us to the D-Day Story, where our ladies enjoyed a truly meaningful day out.

We explored the remarkable Overlord Embroidery – 34 hand-stitched panels stretching an incredible 83 metres, telling the story of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. Commissioned by Lord Dulverton in 1968, the designs were created by artist Sandra Lawrence, who carefully studied wartime photographs before bringing each scene to life.     

The embroidery itself was beautifully crafted by skilled women at the Royal School of Needlework using traditional techniques like appliqué and ‘pricking and pouncing’, with over 50 different materials – even real uniforms – all stitched by hand over five years.

We chose this trip especially as one of our residents who has a real love for embroidery, and it was so special to see her (and everyone else!) take such joy and interest in something so detailed and inspiring. A lovely day filled with history, creativity, and smiles.       

Residents enjoyed a lively game of bingo on the ground floor, where residents played for a line and a full house. 

There were lots of laughs, a little friendly competition and some very happy winners who received yummy chocolate treats to keep in their bedrooms and enjoy later. This is becoming a very popular activity and its great to see the residents bonding.   

It’s been a lovely week full of simple joys and special moments.

Residents have enjoyed ball games and balloon games on Memory Lane with our care staff. 

Our ground floor ladies gather for social catch-ups in the bistro over coffee and a chat.

The activity room has been full of laughter and creativity too, with residents coming together to enjoy arts and crafts — including making friendship bands.
 
So many smiles, conversations, and moments of togetherness that really make our home feel like home.     
 

Today we celebrated Ladies’ Day at Ascot in style, with our residents dusting off their finest hats and fascinators for a wonderful afternoon of music, laughter and elegance.

The fantastic Freddy Saxo provided the perfect soundtrack, filling the home with beautiful jazz and soulful melodies while residents relaxed and enjoyed a refreshing glass of Pimms, complete with fresh fruit and all the traditional accompaniments.

Our ladies absolutely loved trying on the different hats and fascinators, feeling every bit as glamorous as if they were attending Ascot itself. The afternoon sparked plenty of smiles, conversations and memories, creating a truly special atmosphere throughout the home.

A huge thank you goes to the families who kindly donated hats and fascinators, and to Gemma’s mum for her generous contribution. Your kindness helped make our ladies feel extra special and added the perfect finishing touch to a wonderful Ladies’ Day celebration. 

Another fantastic beach trip today as we make the most of this beautiful heatwave heading our way.  This morning we enjoyed a lovely visit to Stokes Bay, taking in the fresh sea air, beautiful views and of course a well-earned ice cream! These outings are always so beneficial for our residents, bringing back wonderful memories and sparking fantastic conversations about sailing around the Isle of Wight and seaside holidays gone by.

It was also extra special to welcome one of our residents’ wives along with us for the morning, making even more lovely memories together.  We are absolutely loving getting our residents out and about more on our minibus and making the most of the amazing places we have right on our doorstep. Just one of the many activities enjoyed today! 

We’ve had a lovely time getting creative with our Easter flower arranging, making some carrot-tactic flower vases using Easter bunny carrots! Such a fun and colourful activity enjoyed by all.

Our residents’ beautiful Easter garden is now proudly displayed at the front of the home for everyone to admire… a wonderful showcase of their hard work and creativity.

Don’t forget, if you took part in our Easter picture colouring competition, please return your entries to us!

We’ve also put up our Easter decorations ready for the weekend… we hope you all enjoy them as much as we do.            

It was so lovely to see families visiting the home today to spend time with their loved ones for Mother’s Day. The Fernes hosted a cake and tea afternoon for families to enjoy together.  

Seeing residents enjoy special moments with their children and families truly made the day extra special. Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate and make it such a warm and happy day.     

This week we had the absolute pleasure of taking our top floor ladies out on a very meaningful minibus trip — one that had been on our wish list. 

We visited the beautiful Porchester Castle and church, taking in the history, the memories, and the peaceful surroundings, before moving on to the Cormorant pub just around the corner. 

We shared many laughs, enjoyed a wonderful conversation in a lovely social setting, and raised a heartfelt toast to a very special lady — a truly touching moment for everyone involved. 

Days like today remind us how important it is to create moments filled with joy, connection, and meaning. A perfect day made even more special by the amazing ladies we were lucky to share it with.