Activities at Hunters Care Home
Activities are the cornerstone of a wholesome home experience and our Activities Coordinators are always putting their creative minds to the test by organising new and exciting social events for residents to partake in. Of course, we take into account the likes and dislikes of those we support, so if someone doesn’t feel like trying something new, there will always be something on offer to reflect their personal interests. For the people who may just prefer some peace and quiet instead, we also offer one-to-one time that can be enjoyed with a nice cup of coffee or just a simple chat – whatever they desire.
Ben Sandall
Hello I am Ben and I am the Activities Coordinator at Hunters. I started working at Hunters as part of the hospitality team, but when a vacancy came up on the activities team I jumped at the opportunity. I have seen how important a varied activities programme is and the team ensure we offer something for everyone including regular past times.
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 Hunters Care Home
Cirencester Bus Trips
With the weather slowly improving we took the chance to start some local bus trips again last week. First destination was Dobbies Garden Centre in Cirencester. As usual our residents had a great time looking at all the brilliant flowers, plants, homeware and clothes. This is always a popular place to visit, with Graham and Sheila saying they used to love shopping at Dobbies, and this was their first visit in 2/3 years! As usual the afternoon was completed with the obligatory tea and cake! Then a lovely morning bus trip to the always popular Cirencester Park. The sun was shining and it was lovely to get some fresh air. It was a little bit too cold to go for a walk, but we had fun reminiscing about memories of Cirencester and favourite places to visit. All whilst enjoying a cuppa and a few biscuits!
Easter Fun
The Easter fun continued at Hunters over the weekend starting with delicious Easter cake making. Lots of fun with chocolate and rice crispies and luckily there were plenty to go around! Then the long awaited Easter Bonnet parade, as our residents showed off their brilliantly decorated creations from earlier in the week. The bonnets looked beautiful and were judged by other residents along with our head chef Leo. The winning hats were made by David on the General community and Freda from our Memory Lane community. Well done to everyone who took part, you all looked fantastic. There was even a visit from the Easter Bunny herself! The residents were thrilled to see a 6ft bunny in the home, especially one that gave out yummy Easter eggs!
Farm animal Visit
A truly magical afternoon meeting some more of the brilliant animals from The Good Day Farm - On tour today. Everyone had a wonderful time getting to know a whole host of new friends, learning all about their lives on the farm and quirky habits. The residents get so much from these animal visits and this was no exception. They got to hold and feed them with the week old lambs being particularly popular. Thank you so much to Laura and Emily, you really made everyone’s day and you’re welcome back anytime. Along with your 3 little helpers! The many smiling faces say it all!
Easter service at Bibury Church
A lovely bus trip to Bibury church today for an Easter service. The sun was shining and we were joined by the brilliant students of Bibury Church of England Primary School. They all sang beautiful hymns and had lots of fun learning about the meaning of Easter with the aid of well-known chocolate bars! It was our first bus trip of the year and the residents had a great time and even enjoyed a welcome Easter cake and cup of tea. Resident Dot said, “I have such fond memories of Bibury and the church is such a beautiful place. The children were very well behaved and we all had a lovely time.”
St’ Patricks Day celebrations
Residents and staff at Hunters celebrated all things Irish for St Patrick’s Day this week. The home was decorated with shamrocks and some staff even dressed up to mark the day. Held on March 17th, Saint Patrick's Day actually observes the death of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, but the day has come to be a huge celebration of Irish heritage and culture.
Staff and residents at the home marked the day listening to Irish music with an always fun game of “Snatch and Grab” winning lots of yummy prizes, and the odd toilet roll! All under the watchful eye of Hunters own cheeky Leprechaun. Washed down with Guinness or an Irish whiskey. Our resident David said, “Everyone has enjoyed the festivities, playing games, and I certainly enjoyed my Guinness!”
Leither’s 100th birthday
Former primary school teacher Leither Grimmer turned 100 at Hunters last week while surrounded by staff, family and friends. The day was full of exciting surprises such as a telegram from the King, a delicious buffet and a special birthday cake made by the home’s chef Leo. Leither lived in Cheltenham before moving to Hunters in 2021 and has two children, as well as five grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The birthday girl said: “I’ve had a wonderful day. "I’ve not got a secret to living to 100, I just try to be happy and always smile.” We were all delighted at Hunters to be celebrating a truly remarkable lady as she reaches this amazing milestone. Leither is such a popular resident who always has an interesting tale to tell, and we look forward to hearing many more as she breaks into her next century.
