Activities at West Abbey Care Home
Our Activities Coordinators are constantly striving to mentally and physically stimulate those we support by organising group and individual activities for anyone and everyone to participate in. There are regular outings in the minibus to nearby places of interest, as well as visits from the Donkey sanctuary, musicians and entertainers. We also host evenings such as our Cheese & Wine evenings and BBQ's in the summer, that we encourage relatives to come to. Activities are one of the most important aspects of a care home, so it is essential that our team are dedicated to ensuring that residents are entertained. We encourage our residents to participate in any way they can. We also encourage relatives to join with activities and events as often as they can to ensure that life at West Abbey is fun and active for all.
Ryan Palmer
Hello, I'm Ryan and I joined West Abbey in 2018 in Hotel Services team where I was nominated 2 years running in the Barchester Care Awards by residents and their families. I moved to Activities in June 2021 which suits my outgoing personality. I know our residents well and love seeing their enjoyment of the entertainment we provide plus going out into the community on our mini bus, I have lived in Yeovil all my life so know all the best places to visit. The team call me the 'IT hero' as I'm always able to resolve the connection issues with our virtual events and our computer / tablets!
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
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 West Abbey Care Home
Supporting Preston Primary PTA
Our activity team took West Abbey out to the Summer Fair held by our local school, Preston Primary, and organised by their PTA. We saw some of our family and friends from the home which was lovely, also it was our pleasure to meet Evie the Mayor of Yeovil and Christine from Yeovil Press. We raised £36.50 on the splat the rat and the Pirate Treasure map game, to which we donated back to the Preston Primary PTA. Our goodie bags were a great success too!
Wine tasting masterclass
Today we joined a virtual wine tasting event, hosted by our very own Hospitality Manager, Christophe Noel and special guests Lee Isaacs DipWSET and Nick Parker from Unity Wines and Spirits.
Lee talked us through tasting a number of wines starting with sparkling and white before moving to rosé and red. Lee will provide an insight into the history of wine, wine making, consumer attitudes, as well as a few tall tales and anecdotes from his 20 years in the trade.
We all had our own samples to try accompanied by delicious cheese and biscuits, a great afternoon which we will definitely be repeating before Christmas!
Morris Dancers
Residents enjoyed an afternoon of grins with a live performance that took place in the gardens at the home. Local group ‘Dr Turbervilles Morris’ performed a selection of classic dances.
Residents joined in with tapping their feet, and clapped along as the group performed their finale dance. The staff at the home also joined in with the group!
Roald Dahl Day
West Abbey had a treat in store for their resident bookworms on 13th September, as residents all joined in to celebrate to stories written by Roald Dahl.
Roald Dahl Day celebrates the birthday of Roald Dahl – probably one of the greatest storytellers of all time. It is celebrated on 13th September every year. Roald Dahl is known for writing a number of popular children’s books which include Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, and James and the Giant Peach. He also wrote many books and short stories for adults, often with a twist in the tale. His books have been translated into 58 different languages and have sold well over 200 million copies worldwide.
Activities Coordinator at Sarah Purdy celebrated some of the most cherished and well known Roald Dahl stories. Residents joined in by discussing their favourite books to trying wild and wacky Roald Dahl-inspired treats and finishing the day with the classic film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Staff at the home also took part in the day by dressing up in their favorite Roald Dahl character costume.
Sixties Fashion Icon - Mary Quant
Residents took a virtual trip to the V&A Dundee for ‘Mary Quant Life and Times’ virtual talk today, it was an opportunity to take a journey back to the swinging sixties and the height of liberated fashion with the first major exhibition in 50 years of the seminal British designer’s work. The talk explored how her unique style developed from humble beginnings and went on to change the face of fashion forever.
Quant captured the spirit of the swinging sixties and pioneered a business model that reshaped the industry, making designer fashion far more accessible for women and men.
Following the talk residents enjoyed a lively discussion on their favourite 60's outfits and hemlines, laughing at how their families viewed some of the more daring outfits they wore!
Comic Relief Fundraising!
The team took part in a super hero fancy dress day alongside a cake sale to raise funds for the Comic Relief Charity on Friday 19th March. The residents enjoyed seeing the different styles of super hero costumes and red noses, we all had a day filled with fun packed activities and lots of laughter.
Most importantly we raised £82! Super team effort by staff and residents at West Abbey Care Home
