Ashby House was delighted to receive a cherry tree from Frosts Garden Centre in Woburn, which they donated to celebrate their 75th Anniversary. Frosts had invited members of the public to nominate companies to receive a tree and we were one of 75 lucky organisations to get one. Ashby House Manager, Wojciech, planted the tree with one of our residents, David, while other staff and residents watched. The tree is a lovely addition to our garden and we look forward to watching it grow for many years to come.

The sunshine is out and so are we! On the warmest March day for over 50 years we made the most of the lovely gardens at Ashby House. After lunch we enjoyed a selection of teas and coffees, biscuits and ice-creams. With the sun smiling down on us and the gentle breeze, Jean and Glennis had a really relaxing afternoon outdoors with other residents. This is hopefully the first of many sunny garden afternoons at Ashby House this year.

We enjoyed the Irish spirit today, in more ways than one. We celebrated with decorations, music and dancing, and we tasted Guinness and Whiskey with our afternoon cakes. Mary and Jean enjoyed their Whiskey and lemonade.

At Ashby House we treated all our lovely lady residents on Mother’s Day. We gave everyone a bag of chocolates or a plant to remind them that they are all special to us.  Many were also delighted to receive gifts, cards, phone calls, Zoom meetings or a visit in person from family. Rose was very pleased with cards from her children and grandchildren. We also delivered some treat hampers to local nurseries to wish all the Mums of the young children a Happy Mother’s Day.

Pantos are always a favourite at Ashby House but we don't think they are just for Christmas. So, we have just had a Treasure Island Panto and we all had a blast! We used props and fancy dress to make the afternoon a proper event and enjoyed snacks and tropical drinks. John, with the orange garland, said, “That was really enjoyable", after watching the panto on the big screen. Needless to say we are looking forward to our next virtual event!

On Glennis’ birthday she celebrated with her husband, David, as they live together at Ashby House. In the morning Glennis received lovely bouquets of flowers from her daughters along with cards and heartfelt messages. In the afternoon she enjoyed chatting with other residents and joining in a quiz about food which she found fun. We rounded off her day by singing Happy Birthday as she cut her very chocolatey cake, which was freshly made by our Chef. Glennis' birthday was one of several at Ashby House this month and every resident received a similar celebration for their special day.