Activities at Cubbington Mill Care Home

Residents Chris and both Pats, alongside Carer Karen and Angela from Laundry, enjoyed a lovely flower arranging morning, a beautiful activity that brought back so many fond memories. For many of our lady residents, flower arranging was once a regular and much-loved pastime. It was wonderful to see those skills and smiles return, as they carefully selected colours, arranged blooms, and shared stories from years gone by. 

Moments like these remind us how meaningful familiar activities can be, sparking joy, creativity, and connection. The room looked (and smelled!) absolutely amazing, and we’re already looking forward to doing it again soon.            

Head Chef Trevor, alongside Senior Activity Coordinator Rose, Resident Ambassadors John and Peter with their right hand lady Queenie, recently held their quarterly Food Committee Meeting, where we all came together to share ideas, feedback, and favourite dishes. 

It was a great opportunity to talk about menus, special requests, and how we can continue to make mealtimes enjoyable for everyone, thank you to all our residents who took part and shared their thoughts, your voices really do shape what we serve! We’re already looking forward to putting some of these lovely suggestions into action.     

Our home was filled with creativity, colour, and beautiful music as residents Maggy, both Pats and Brenda, enjoyed a relaxing arts and crafts workshop with Annette from Creative Mojo! With the soothing sounds of The Carpenters playing in the background, everyone got stuck in creating their own unique pieces, from painting to crafting. It was wonderful to see such imagination and joy shared throughout the room. 

Activities like these not only spark creativity but also bring back lovely memories through music, encouraging conversation, laughter, and connection, a truly heart-warming afternoon enjoyed by all!      

’A Magical Morning at St Mary’s Church Festival of Trees!

We are delighted to be invited each year, and it’s always a highlight of our festive season. Our residents Lily, Meg and Chris, along with the Activities Team, Marie and Rose, had a wonderful time visiting the beautiful Festival of Trees at St Mary’s Church in Warwick. 

The sparkling lights, festive decorations, and joyful atmosphere brought smiles all around. A special highlight of the morning was contributing to the Kindness Tree, where our residents wrote heartfelt messages of thanks and appreciation for our amazing staff. Their words were full of warmth, gratitude, and festive cheer.

Thank you to St Mary’s Church for such a lovely event.    

Prost! Today we brought a little bit of Bavaria to our home with a festive Oktoberfest celebration, and what a wonderful day it was! Our residents enjoyed delicious German-inspired treats, lively traditional music, fun costumes and decorations, laughter, and a few (root) beers to toast the day! It was a joyful day filled with smiles, dancing, and making great memories. 

Thank you to our amazing Activity Coordinator, Rose and General Manager Ula, for organising such a heart-warming event, and to our residents for bringing the fun and spirit to the day! Our Oktoberfest celebration was a wonderful success, bringing laughter, music, and a true sense of community to our home. Residents enjoyed traditional German treats, lively polka tunes, and festive decorations that transformed our space into a cosy Bavarian setting. Staff and residents alike joined in the fun, sharing stories, songs, and smiles throughout the day. It was a heart-warming occasion that highlighted the joy of togetherness, and a reminder that every day is worth celebrating at our care home.  

We’re delighted to share some exciting news from our Grand National sweepstake! A huge congratulations to our Unit Lead Vicky and one of our wonderful residents, Tony, who both picked the winning horse and are sharing the prize fund between them! It was fantastic to see so many of our residents and staff getting involved, cheering on their horses, and enjoying the buzz of the big race together. 

Moments like these bring so much joy, laughter, and a real sense of community to our home. Well done to our winners, we hope you enjoy your winnings!      

If there’s one thing our ladies and gets to enjoy, its sport! We’re a competitive bunch here at Cubbington Mill. Our recent badminton session brought back some wonderful memories for our lovely resident, Chris. Chris shared that she used to enjoy playing badminton after work during her time with Massey Ferguson. It was her favourite way to unwind after a busy day, and you could really see that spark of familiarity and joy as she picked up the racket again!

It’s moments like these that remind us how important meaningful activities are, reconnecting with hobbies, celebrating life stories, and keeping those passions alive. Well done, Chris! We loved hearing your stories and seeing you back in action on the court.

Our residents Pat, Queenie, Nigel, Brenda and Resident Ambassador Cheryl, had a wonderful time at this month’s Gardening Club, with the sun shining and spirits high, everyone got involved in planting, watering, and tending to our lovely garden spaces. From potting colourful flowers, to sharing gardening tips and stories, it was a truly joyful and relaxing session, there’s nothing quite like getting hands in the soil and enjoying the beauty of nature together. 

A big thank you to everyone who joined in with Head of Maintenance Wal who helped make the garden look so vibrant.    

On Tuesday 18th November, we gathered to welcome Karen, The High Sheriff into our home for the Grand Opening of the 1st Floor, following a WOW refurbishment. Karen spent time with residents conversing over her newly appointed role by His Majesty The King. 

Ula Beckford, General Manager at Cubbington Mill, said: “The home is looking better than ever after the recent investment, and it was a pleasure to showcase the elegant new interior at the Grand Opening. My door is always open and anyone who couldn’t make the Open Day is very welcome to drop by for a cup of tea any other day instead.” 

Karen, High Sheriff of Warwickshire said: ‘’It is my absolute pleasure to be here today representing his Majesty The King at Cubbington Mills Grand Opening Event. I know, we know, Warwickshire knows, that the jobs you lovely people do aren’t always the easiest jobs, they come with a real amount of strength required and a lot of emotional commitment. I have truly witnessed that today when being welcomed into the home by the whole team. A heartfelt thank you to Karen, The High Sheriff, for joining us for this special occasion, and to all the staff, residents, and relatives who helped bring this transformation to life."  

On Thursday residents, staff and relatives gathered for a Remembrance Balloon Release. The balloon release was created in honour of loved ones whose passing has left a deep impact on the community. The balloon release provides a way to collectively grieve, remember, and celebrate their life. The balloon release included a moment of silence, soft musical tunes, and most importantly sharing treasured memories together.  

Organised by Rose Tucker, Activity Coordinator at Cubbington Mill, this heartfelt balloon release offered residents, staff and relatives an opportunity to reflect, remember, and celebrate the lives of those we’ve cared for. Residents, staff and relatives had the chance to write messages on biodegradable balloons before releasing them into the sky in a symbolic act of love and remembrance.

We are absolutely delighted to share some wonderful news! Following our recent inspection, we are proud to announce that our home has been rated GOOD by the Care Quality Commission. 

This achievement reflects the dedication, compassion, and hard work of our incredible team, who go above and beyond every day to provide high-quality care and support. We would also like to thank our residents and their families for their continued trust and support. It truly means the world to us. This result motivates us to keep striving for excellence and to ensure our home remains a safe, caring, and happy place for everyone. Well done to the whole team!                     

When George visited Cubbington Mill, we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming our sister home, Harper Fields, along with Co-Pilot George the teddy, for a lovely lunch with the residents. But also an extra bonus 2, in the form of the activity team from The Spires, another sister home of ours. It was wonderful to spend time together, share stories, laughter, and enjoy some delicious food.

Moments like these remind us how special it is to be part of a wider care family, building friendships and creating meaningful connections. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day so enjoyable. We can’t wait to do it again soon!   

’Christmas Day was filled with warmth, laughter, and festive cheer as residents, staff, and loved ones came together to celebrate this special time of year. The day began with beautifully decorated surroundings, festive music, and the comforting sights and sounds of Christmas. Residents enjoyed a traditional Christmas lunch, lovingly prepared by our kitchen team, complete with all the festive favourites. Smiles were shared around the table as everyone enjoyed good food and even better company. 

Throughout the day, there were plenty of joyful moments, from opening Christmas cards and gifts to singing along to well-known carols. Our residents especially enjoyed spending time with one another, reminiscing about Christmases past and creating new memories together. 

We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated staff who worked tirelessly to make the day so special, and to families and friends who sent kind messages, cards, and gifts. Your support helped make Christmas Day truly magical. From all of us, we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to sharing many more happy moments together in the year ahead.         

Our home was glowing with light, laughter, and love as residents and staff came together to celebrate the Festival of Lights! From decorating diyas and colourful rangolis to sharing delicious sweets and heartfelt wishes, the day was filled with joy and togetherness. We’re grateful for moments like these that bring our community closer and fill our hearts with warmth. Wishing everyone a bright, joyful, and safe Diwali from all of us at Cubbington Mill. 

A huge shout-out to the team from VR for Care Homes – Virtual Reality Activity Services for their wonderful performance today. Care Practioner, Jeet, prepared traditional Indian dishes including a range of warming curries, spicy samosas, crispy bhajis and papadums with lime pickle and chutneys, followed by traditional Indian sweets such as laddoo and barfi for the residents to enjoy. The Resident Ambassador, John, commented: “I love all the different cultural events that we celebrate here, there’s always something going on.  I especially like the religious festivals of other cultures and sampling the wonderful food.  It makes me feel like I am travelling abroad!”’  

’Our residents and staff enjoyed a truly special experience with our VR Life Enrichment Session, from VR for Care Homes - Virtual Reality Activity Services! As a team we are always looking for innovative ways to enhance the wellbeing and happiness of our residents. On Friday we introduced a truly special experience as part of our life enrichment programme, a Virtual Reality (VR) session designed to transport our residents to new places such as Tokyo old favourites such as Ireland.
Using state of the art VR headsets, our residents were able to take part in fully immersive journeys, from walking through serene countryside and standing beside the Eiffel Tower, to reliving childhood seaside memories, or exploring places they’ve always wanted to visit, for many, it was a deeply emotional and joyful experience. These VR sessions not only provide entertainment and mental stimulation, but also promote reminiscence, connection, and emotional wellbeing, especially for our residents living with dementia.
"It felt like I was really there, I haven’t seen the sea in years! Just as I remembered it families enjoying the whole space on offer", said smiley Pat.
‘’Who’s idea was this, what a brilliant idea, Rose thinks of everything, I’ve done more exciting life enrichment at Cubbington Mill in 4 years, than I have in my 70 years of life!’’ expressed by resident Kevin
At Cubbington Mill, we are proud to embrace technology that enhances quality of life and brings meaningful experiences to our home.’’