Activities at Crandon Springs Care Home

Residents from across the home recently enjoyed a fun-filled pom-pom dance and exercise session with local favourite Tina Smith Blackwill, known across the South West as "The Pom-Pom Lady."

The class combined music, movement and colourful pom-poms, encouraging residents to stay active while sharing plenty of laughter and friendship. Designed to suit different abilities, the session offered a gentle but energising workout that supported mobility, coordination and wellbeing in an enjoyable and inclusive way.

Everyone embraced the experience enthusiastically, before Tina ended the afternoon with a wonderful and calming illuminated butterfly wings display.

Our residents, families, staff and local guests came together for a wonderful Disco Down Memory Lane event during Dementia Action Week. With music, dancing, glow sticks and even hula hoops, the afternoon was full of laughter, fun, and community spirit.

Residents enjoyed dancing alongside visitors and staff, while chair dancing ensured everyone joined in. Gillian said: “I haven’t had such a great time dancing like this in years,” while Wendy added, “We all had such a good time.”

The event highlighted the power of music to bring people together to share and create happy memories and celebrate life.

We regularly enjoy a relaxing and sociable movie night, and our Memory Lane community really appreciate a good musical.

Recently, movie night featured the much-loved, feel-good film ‘Mamma Mia!’, which created a lively and uplifting atmosphere. We enjoyed a selection of refreshments, including tea, red wine and fizz, alongside some of our favourite treats - chocolate and crisps.  Everyone settled in comfortably, many choosing to wear PJs or lounge wear which added to the experience of a cosy night at home.

Movie nights like these offer a simple yet meaningful way for our residents to unwind, socialise, and enjoy familiar favourites in a warm and supportive environment, reflecting the homely feel we strive to create every day.

Life at Crandon Springs Care Home is all about meaningful and memorable experiences, and sometimes that leads to unusual and unexpected activities and encounters!

Our residents recently enjoyed a fascinating visit from wildlife experts, getting up close with an incredible range of reptiles and bugs. From snakes and tarantulas to giant snails and exotic insects, the session sparked curiosity, conversation and laughter.

For some, it was also a moment of personal achievement, with residents (and staff) bravely overcoming fears and trying something completely new. 

We enjoyed a lovely, cosy, comedy evening in our lounge, with residents relaxing together to watch classic `The Two Ronnies` with a glass of bubbles and some tasty nibbles. 

The Comedy Club is a new activity for us, but it’s something we’ll do again. Sharing familiar TV shows with family and friends sparks memories, conversations and brings comfort. And laughing together can lift mood, reduce anxiety and strengthen social connections, all of which support wellbeing for older adults.

Last year (March 2025), the BBC highlighted the positive effect of old comedy and TV shows in its `Memories and Dementia: Starting the Conversation` season, which explored how the BBC’s rich archive of programmes, including classic comedy, can help stimulate memories and reconnect people with meaningful moments from their past. (Read more about it here: https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/memoriesanddementia/)

We’re looking forward to working our way through all the old comedy favourites in coming months!

We recently enjoyed an engaging and informative talk exploring the history of the Thatcher's Cider company and the family behind one of Somerset's most well-known traditions. The session, delivered by Museum To You, provided a fascinating insight into the region's rich cider-making heritage, sparking conversation, memories, and plenty of interest among those who attended. 

To round off the afternoon, residents took part in a cider tasting experience accompanied by cheese and crackers, which added to their enjoyment of a interesting and entertaining activity.

What a wonderful nostalgic afternoon we had at Crandon Springs Care Home as the D Day Dollies performed a special wartime-themed show to commemorate VE Day.

Dressed in authentic vintage costumes, the talented duo entertained our residents with wartime classics, uplifting songs, dance routines and singalongs, bringing smiles and memories to everyone who attended. Our residents also enjoyed meeting the performers after the show for photos and salutes.

Events like this are meaningful to our residents, many of whom have personal memories or family connections to wartime experiences. The D Day Dollies brought us together to share those memories while enjoying a wonderful musical performance.

We enjoyed a fulfilling day of activities designed to support both physical wellbeing and mental stimulation.

The day began with a gentle online exercise and movement class, where residents focused on mobility to ease joints though calm, guided movements set to relaxing music. In our Memory Lane community, a fun games session followed, featuring tin can skittles and bean bag hoop challenges which sparked laughter and social interaction.

Meanwhile, in the café, residents took part in word games and puzzles, creating a warm, engaging atmosphere with plenty of teamwork and conversation. Jigsaw puzzles on Memory Lane offered a quieter, mindful activity to round off the day.

Together these activities highlight our commitment to supporting active bodies, engaged minds, and meaningful connections every day.

Our Memory Lane residents are discovering new ways to create, connect and have fun thanks to our new life-size digital interactive touch screen.

This exciting addition to our activities programme is especially beneficial for those living in our dedicated Memory Lane community. Designed to support people living with dementia, the screen offers a wide range of stimulating experiences to suit different interests and abilities. From art and painting, to music, puzzles, reminiscence and sensory activities, there’s something for everyone to enjoy, either in a group or personalised one-to-one session.

By combining digital innovation with traditional activities, we’re enhancing wellbeing, encouraging meaningful interaction and showing that technology can be inclusive, accessible and enjoyable at any stage of life.

Our residents took part in a hands-on flower arranging workshop led by professional floral designer Freya, and it proved to be a vibrant celebration of spring.

The session brough colour, creativity, and conversation to our home as residents were guided step-by-step to design their own beautiful floral displays. Using a cheerful mix of seasonal flowers, they created unique arrangements in charming jam jars, to take pride of place in their rooms and shared spaces around the home.

Freya shared her expertise in a relaxed and engaging way, helping residents explore different textures, colours, and arrangements. The workshop not only sparked creativity, but also reminisce, with residents sharing memories of gardens and favourite flowers. 

We enjoyed a fun-filled Easter, with activities ranging from a hot cross bun tasting to a visit from local nursery children.

Our `Buns & Bunnies` themed tasting saw residents sample hot cross bun flavours of strawberries & clotted cream, extra fruity, salted caramel & chocolate, cheese, and apple & cinnamon, with salted caramel and extra fruity crowned joint favourites.

A highlight of the Easter week was a visit from Rockers and Rollers Day Nursery for a garden egg hunt followed by a cheerful singalong. Resident Rose, fondly known as `Little Gran` to her great grandson who attends the nursery, helped hand out the treats.

These shared activities bring real joy and meaningful connection for everyone involved.

We had a lovely Mother's Day afternoon tea at Crandon Springs Care Home. Daughters, family, friends and even dogs, joined their loved ones to celebrate, and it was wonderful to see everyone enjoying a special time together.

Our guests enjoyed a delicious spread of prawn, cucumber, cheese and ham sandwiches, followed by sweet treats including scones with jam and cream, Biscoff swirls, pinwheels and brownies, all freshly prepared by our fabulous kitchen crew.

Resident Barbara summed up the afternoon perfectly, saying it was "wonderful food and good company" and we couldnt agree more.

From March 2026, we will be hosting a new monthly Business Women in Networking group at Crandon Springs, supporting local business women to come together for meaningful conversation, fresh ideas, and connection. 

The group will begin meeting during the week of International Women’s Day, reflecting our commitment to championing women’s voices and celebrating their achievements, including our residents, those working in social care and across the wider community.

The sessions, held on the second Friday of the month, provide a welcoming space for women at every stage of their business journey to connect and collaborate. It is led by local business woman, Victoria Marshall, a strategic Marketing Consultant with booking essential via email: book@businesswomenin.org