Activities at Ashford House Care Home

We are inviting the local community to join us for our writing competition for International Literacy Day. The task is for you to write a poem or short story within the theme of ‘Friendships!’
We would love all ages to get involved so will have categories for children under 7 year old, 8-12 years old and 12 years and older, we would love your entries to include illustrations if you wish. There will also be a separate category for all adults to get involved.
Please ensure all entries are received by midday 30th September -the last day of the month. You can email entries to Ashford.Activities@barchester.com or send them to Ashford House, Long Lane, Stanwell, Staines, Middlesex.TW19 7AZ  Please remember to include your name, age (for children’s entries) and contact details.  
The residents of staff and residents at Ashford House will judge all entries after  National Literacy Day and the winner will be announced on the last day of the month and will receive a small prize from Barchester and the chance for the winning poem or story to be shared across Barchester Homes around the country. It will also be shared on our page. Good Luck!!!

Ken Dix

Ashford House resident Ken Dix has a lead role in a new on-line commemoration of VJ Day.

Ken, who will be 97 in September, is featured in the tribute put together by Spelthorne Borough Council to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two on August 15th.

He joined the North Surrey Branch of the Burma Star Association in the early 1950s.and served as secretary, chairman and finally President.,

In that capacity he attended the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Staines, where on the platform in front of large crowds, he would recite the words: "When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today."

It is this poignant message that Ken speaks in the VJ tribute, which was filmed in the garden at Ashford House. He was word perfect and needed no prompting.

Ken, who ran a landscape gardening business in Staines for almost 40 years, before passing it on to his youngest son, Roger, lost his wife Iris in 2014. He came to live at Ashford House in June after several years at Moor House in Staines..

Having joined the local Air Training Corps as a teenager in the late 1930s, he was fast-tracked into the Royal Air Force in 1941. 

As an armourer, he found himself serving at various RAF airfields around the UK, including Predannack in Cornwall, where missions were flown to  protect towns and cities in France and the south west and to combat U-Boats in the English Channel and Atlantic.

He joined 110 Squadron, which was sent to the Far East in 1942, arriving in Bombay (now Mumbai) and then travelling through India to the jungles of Burma where the Allies were fighting the Japanese.

Ken was particularly proud of his association with the de Havilland Mosquito, which he considered one of the finest aircraft ever built.

He met and chatted with Vera Lynn when she toured a military hospital in Burma where he was a patient - but he never actually saw her because he had bandages temporarily covering his eyes!

When peace came in 1945, the squadron was relocated to the island of Labuan, off Borneo, where it helped to convert the airfield for civil use.

 It was from there that Ken travelled home in 1947, via Bombay, a journey which took almost two months by troopship.

Son Roger said: "Dad worked extremely hard for the Burma Star Association over almost 70 years. He organised several big parades, dinner dances and numerous other social functions, as well as designing and laying out a memorial garden at St Peter's Church in Staines."

We are organising virtual tours to see Ashford House and meet our new Manager Dilyana

It is with great pleasure we announce that our fabulous Head Chef is in the finals of the 'Great British Care Awards'.  We always knew she was brilliant,  but this is such a great accolade to receive from our own industry.

The below was used to describe Sharon at the 'Great British Care Award'.

'Sharon demonstrated her passion for delivering high quality food for her residents, and with support from Barchester, for groups in the community. The judges were impressed by her mantra “the only limit on choice is what’s in store”.'

Like all good British traditions fish and chips is served at Ashford House on a Friday. The history of fish and chips dates back to the early 1800's.  It is thought that it was bought to Britain by British immigrants from Spain and Portugal - who ate fish on a Friday,  coated with flower and covered in oil.  We can thank Sir Walter Raleigh,  for bringing the potato from the New World in the early 17th century - The very first fish and chip shop is thought to have opened in 1863, in an place called Mossely near Oldham, Lancashire.

Some of the contestants for our 'Virtual Dog Show' They are just lovely. 

Our residents have been missing their four legged visitors throughout  lockdown, so we thought we would bring yours to Ashford House care centre.

Our competition runs throughout much of August - send a picture in of your precious pooch for our residents to see and get a chance to win our competition.