Activities at Cherry Trees Care Home

Fingal Brings Joy! Pet Therapy Visit Brightens Our Residents' Day!

Paws-itively wonderful! Our residents have a fantastic visit from Fingal, the pet therapy dog, every Friday. Fingal's gentle nature and wagging tail brings smiles, comfort, and lots of happy moments to everyone. Pet therapy is a fantastic way to boost emotional well-being, reduce stress, and provide a sense of connection for our residents.

The bond between our residents and Fingal is heart-warming to witness. From gentle pets to loving cuddles, the interaction brings so much joy and laughter. We're incredibly grateful to Fingal and his handler for sharing their time and love with us each week.

Our courtyard is blooming with creativity! Residents came together to plant beautiful flowers in our upcycled chest of drawers-turned planters. It's amazing what we can create together! As well as the beautiful chest of drawers, our residents made some beautiful bird feeders using parts of the upcycled drawer and an old tea set we had lying about. 

Residents have really have some great fun getting creative and we have so many more ideas coming soon!  Keep an eye out for more fun sustainable gardening ideas!!

Cherry Trees is committed to providing a stimulating and engaging environment for its residents. As part of this commitment, we regularly organize intergenerational activities that benefit both our residents and the younger generation. This case study examines the impact of a recent visit from students at St. Benedict's School, during which they interacted with residents and staff to learn about various career paths.

On 9th June, a group of 15 students from St Benedict's Catholic High School visited Cherry Trees. The visit was structured to include two key components: informal conversations between students and residents about their past careers and a career questions session where students spoke with staff members from different departments (Maintenance, Housekeeping, activities, etc.) about their roles, responsibilities, and career journeys. Following the career talks, the students were given a tour of the home, allowing them to see the various facilities and understand the daily life of the residents. The visit concluded with a relaxed session of word wheel, where students and residents worked together while enjoying refreshments. The goal was to provide students with real-world insights into a variety of professions while offering residents an opportunity to share their wisdom and experiences, and to foster meaningful connections between the generations.

The visit proved to be a resounding success, yielding several positive outcomes. The students gained valuable knowledge about different career paths, broadening their understanding of the possibilities available to them. Residents reported feeling a sense of purpose and fulfilment in sharing their life stories and offering advice to the younger generation. Staff members enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on their career paths and inspire the students with their experiences. The tour of the home provided the students with a better understanding of the environment in which the residents live, while the word wheel activity promoted teamwork and social interaction in a relaxed setting. 

We recently held a wedding ceremony for Hilda Watts' granddaughter, Rachel, and her now-husband, Steven. They couldn’t let their grandmother not be in on their magical day!! Rachel has always been very close to her grandmother and when she announced the wedding day to Hilda, of course, Hilda wanted to attend. Unfortunately, with the wedding being in Oxfordshire, it would logistically have been very challenging for Hilda to attend and not in her best interests, so Rachel had the fantastic idea of bringing the wedding to her grandmother!! Here at Cherry Trees instead!

The bridal party consisted of Hilda's three daughters, Susan, Patricia and Sheila. Patricia is the bride’s mother and also present was the bride's brother John and a couple of close friends. Everyone dressed up in their wedding outfits and Hilda was dressed up in her beautiful grandmother of-the-bride outfit, and wow, she looked the part!

She was so delighted to have some lovely red lipstick on and a beautiful bow in her hair.
Rachel had saved and dried some flower petals from her grandmother’s garden. Steven was known to buy Rachel frequent bouquets of flowers, so Rachel duly saved and dried those petals too.
This gave all the guests the opportunity to "throw confetti" at the Bride and Groom as is tradition.
After the photographs, the bridal party relaxed in the cupcake room here at Cherry Trees with tea/coffee and plenty of cake. Hilda enjoyed chatting with all the guests and admiring the outfits.

It was a magical day and lovely that the family could make so many memories and include Hilda in such a special day. The event was filled with love, laughter, and a sense of togetherness, proving that family bonds remain strong, no matter the circumstances. It was a beautiful reminder of how inclusive and meaningful celebrations can be when we go the extra mile to involve everyone we love.

The ceremony had such a positive impact on Hilda! Bringing the wedding celebration to Hilda at Cherry Trees underscores the importance of inclusion and family connection, especially for the elderly or mobility-challenged family members. It demonstrates that their presence and participation are valued, reinforcing their sense of belonging and significance within the family unit. The impact on Hilda has been huge. She is very excited to tell the staff about her special day and the joy this celebration has given to Hilda is something you can’t buy. Seeing her family come together to include her in such a meaningful way has boosted her emotional well-being, creating cherished memories and reaffirming her importance in their lives.

This act of love and dedication would leave a lasting positive impression, not only on Hilda but also on our home community here at Cherry Trees. It serves as a powerful reminder of the strength of family bonds and the importance of creating inclusive, heart-warming experiences for everyone, regardless of their physical limitations.

We very much welcomed the celebrations here at Cherry Trees for our wonderful VE Day Party!! We had the most amazing time and would like to say a big thank you to everyone who came along and celebrated with us and to the lovely Tom Riando who provided the most wonderful entertainment. 

Our residents and staff have had the best time singing, dancing, laughing, indulging and remembering together!     

Marjorie said ‘We don’t want to stop the party! We’re going to stay out all night!’ Shirley said ‘It brings back such happy memories of my husband’, memories she was so happy to relive!

Hilda Watts' granddaughter Rachel and her now husband, Steven, couldn’t let their grandmother not be in on their magical day!!

Rachel has always been very close to her grandmother and when she announced the wedding day to Hilda, of course, Hilda wanted to attend. Unfortunately, with the wedding being in Oxfordshire, it would logistically have been very challenging for Hilda to attend and not in her best interests, so Bride Rachel had the fantastic idea of bringing the wedding to her grandmother!! Here at Cherry Trees instead!

The bridal party consisted of Hilda's three daughters, Susan, Patricia and Sheila. Patricia is the bride’s mother and also present was the bride's brother John and a couple of close friends. Everyone dressed up in their wedding outfits and Hilda was dressed up in her beautiful grandmother-of-the-bride outfit, and wow, she looked the part! She was so delighted to have some lovely red lipstick on and a beautiful bow in her hair.

Rachel had saved and dried some flower petals from her grandmother’s garden. Steven was known to buy Rachel frequent bouquets of flowers, so Rachel duly saved and dried those petals too.
This gave all the guests the opportunity to "throw confetti" at the Bride and Groom as is tradition.
After the photographs, the bridal party relaxed in the cupcake room here at Cherry Trees with tea/coffee and plenty of cake. Hilda enjoyed chatting with all the guests and admiring the outfits.

It was a magical day and lovely that the family could make so many memories and include Hilda on such a special day. The event was filled with love, laughter, and a sense of togetherness, proving that family bonds remain strong, no matter the circumstances. It was a beautiful reminder of how inclusive and meaningful celebrations can be when we go the extra mile to involve everyone we love.

The family brought Rachel and Steven’s wedding celebration to Cherry Trees. It created such a positive impact and heart-warming idea for Hilda! Bringing the wedding celebration to Hilda at Cherry Trees underscores the importance of inclusion and family connection, especially for the elderly or mobility-challenged family members. It demonstrates that their presence and participation are valued, reinforcing their sense of belonging and significance within the family unit.

The impact on Hilda has been huge. She is very excited to tell the staff about her special day and the joy this celebration has given to Hilda is something you can’t buy. Seeing her family come together to include her in such a meaningful way has boosted her emotional well-being, creating cherished memories and reaffirming her importance in their lives.

This act of love and dedication would leave a lasting positive impression, not only on Hilda but also on our home community here at Cherry Trees. It serves as a powerful reminder of the strength of family bonds and the importance of creating inclusive, heart-warming experiences for everyone, regardless of their physical limitations.

We were very lucky to have had a visit from Ellie and Damson May. Pet therapy, like our recent visit by miniature horses Ellie and Damson May, is incredibly important to us at Cherry Trees. These interactions provide emotional support, reduce feelings of loneliness, and stimulate cognitive function.

For residents like Jill, the visit was particularly special. Seeing Ellie and Damson May brought back cherished memories, sparking joy and conversation. The gentle presence of the horses created a calming atmosphere, allowing our residents to reminisce about their experiences with animals.

Many of our residents with horse backgrounds were delighted by the visit, sharing stories and connecting over their shared love for horses. The therapeutic benefits of such visits are undeniable, and bring a sense of connection and well-being amongst residents.

Our Easter bunny brigade was out delivering sweet goodies to staff and residents this Easter Sunday. The Easter bunny was out having some mischievous fun, and the residents all had a wonderful time helping the naughty bunny to give out the sweet treats. 

It was a fun, happy Easter Day and from all of our staff and residents here at Cherry Trees we wish you all a fabulous Easter!

Our talented Chefs Chris Aston and Nataliya Ivanova went head to head in competition to bake the best Apple Pie, voted for by our residents!!

In support of our Regional Directors Charity Cook-Off for Barchester's Charitable Foundation we were extremely excited here at Cherry Trees Care Home - Barchester Healthcare for our very own Cherry Trees Bake Off. The results are in… 

After much deliberation our judges decided that the best overall pie was created by none other than our Head Chef, Chris Aston! In the words of our lovely resident Joan, ‘It was a very close call’ as both were absolutely delicious but what tipped the decision in Chris’ favour was the simplicity of his bake! 

Our home was full of joy and laughter with residents and staff taking part, enjoying each other’s company and having fun. It was lovely to see the whole home come together, showing support and love for our wonderful team and the fantastic job they do! Well done to Chris and Nataliya and our fabulous panel of judges!