Saturday 11th June saw residents, staff, relatives and friends all coming together at Woodland View Care Home to celebrate Her Royal Majesty's 90th birthday.

Woodland View hosted its very own street party and garden party with patriotic bunting; a lot of it was made in-house by a very talented Head Housekeeper. Union Jack plates, other patriotic decorations and pictures of the Queen were put on display.

When the food arrived, those attending tucked into what seemed to be an unending supply of finger sandwiches, coronation chicken, pork pies, sausage rolls, pasta, potato and fresh green salads. What then followed was a wide selection of deserts, including homemade scones with strawberry jam and fresh cream, jam tarts, jelly and ice cream and, of course, trifle! With a choice of sparkling wine, bucks fizz and soft drinks, everything was washed down with a great appreciation to those who had worked hard catering and serving. Because of the location of Woodland View Care Home, everyone was fortunate enough to witness the amazing sight of all the aircraft heading for the royal fly-past over Buckingham Palace, as they passed almost directly overhead during the party. Following the playing of the National Anthem, singer, Ned Pepper, entertained everyone. Despite this being the UK, we enjoyed the majority of the celebration in the sunshine, until it turned to very traditional rain and thunder.

Memory Lane residents at Woodland View Care Home enjoyed a wonderful afternoon walking through High Woods Country Park on Thursday, taking in the wildlife and all the different flora and fauna.

The bird songs, the smells, even the breeze through the trees had a visible impact on the ladies and gentlemen as they walked, smiled, laughed and talked together.

Woodland View is very fortunate to have the country park just a few minutes walk from the doors of the care home, but it also benefits from having its own themed gardens. Residents are actively encouraged to be involved in the gardens, even if it’s a hands-off sit, look and enjoy approach.

They asked if there had been a big storm overnight; people were trying to figure out what a boat wreck was doing in one of the gardens as Colchester is a few miles away from the coast.

What they didn't know is that a couple of the team had been out in the minibus that morning to collect the remains of an old rowing boat that was kindly donated to help decorate one of the themed gardens at Woodland View. The boat will have plants added in the centre soon for a splash of colour.

So far, along with the rowing boat in this beach themed garden, is a working miniature lighthouse and a resident pelican! This is just one of a number of themed areas being worked on around the home, with this particular garden already proving to be a big hit.

Woodland View is celebrating as it welcomed a great new addition to its team this week.

April Smith joined the admin team as a new receptionist and has already made her mark with colleagues and residents.

In her first week, April has already become well known to everyone, chatting and helping others with everything she can. With her cheerful, efficient and approachable personality - nothing has been too much trouble.

We are certain April will thoroughly enjoy working at Woodland View and play a major part in the home's continuing success.

15th – 21st May was Dementia Awareness Week and Woodland View had a number of events which embodied the spirit of the campaign.

We had a visit and performance from 17 members of ‘The Orwell Singers’, a choir that one of the residents living with dementia was a long-serving member of.

In our main reception/coffee lounge area, we have a TV displaying the daily activities and special upcoming events, which is easy for residents and visitors to see. For Dementia Awareness Week, we added 10 information/facts pages, highlighting aspects of dementia in its various forms. It was very satisfying to have visitors stop and read the details – it worked!

Tessa Collitt visited for an afternoon session and sang songs for the Memory Lane community, which had many residents singing along - and some dancing. A beautiful voice and a wide range of songs from Tessa always makes her visits a popular event.

On the final day, we were very honoured to have an accomplished guitarist, known around the world in jazz circles, come to perform for the residents in support of Dementia Awareness week. Antonio Forcione was in the area to give a concert in the evening at a local jazz club, and was delighted to be invited to visit the home. Antonio spent time playing his guitar and then talking with residents after his performance. Antonio really enjoyed his visit and also indicated an interest in returning at some point in the future!

All in all, it was a very successful week for Woodland View and, most importantly, it was enjoyed by both residents and visitors alike.

As spring finally gets underway, resident, Sylvia Davies, and Activities Coordinator, Kevin Riley, take advantage of the sunshine to get some practice in on court. The ball speeds faster than the blink of the eye… and actually a lot faster than those holding the rackets.

Whilst this is great exercise as a regular weekly activity (which is normally indoors), and enjoyed by a number of residents, including those who play in wheelchairs, anyone watching will already know that these two Wimbledon wannabes actually have more in common with Great Uncle Bulgaria and Madame Cholet than with Andy Murray and Billie Jean King!

As we all know, it’s not about the winning, it’s about the participating and strawberries and cream. Just as well, eh?!