Activities at Hethersett Hall Care Home

With the restrictions in place, having a panto at the home was a no go, so our budding staff members decided they would put on a production of 'The Wizard of Oz' for residents instead.

It was a huge success and a great laugh, and something well needed in these difficult times. A big well done to everyone involved, including the highlight of the show; our yellow brick road!

Staff and residents of Hethersett Hall have been busy decorating to give our home a lovely 'Christmassy' feel! Residents loved helping put baubles and tinsel on trees.

Overall, our home has 11 Christmas trees on display, including a real tree in reception, which will be entered into Barchester’s Christmas Competition.

We even have a tree in our new visiting suite! Michelle, our head of Housekeeping, designed and made outdoor Christmas scenes for our residents to admire. We would also like to thank Church Farm in Hethersett for the boxes they donated to make a train as part of our outdoor display.

Our annual Christmas market was a little different this year, but that didn’t stop us from having a great afternoon! As part of our community engagement, we set up several stalls to sell items on behalf on local businesses.

Staff also made great efforts to dress as elves to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s Society. One of our carers, Becky, made lots of delicious fudge which sold very quickly!

All funds raised from our tombola raffle and staff stall will go to our resident, fund. A huge thanks to everyone who took part and made this event very special for our residents.

Bonfire Night celebrations were a little different this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, this didn’t stop us having a good time! Activities staff planned a live performance from Paul and Jayne of Splash Duo via Zoom. Everyone was smiling and tapping their feet along to many well-known songs.

We all enjoyed a yummy selection of bonfire-themed food prepared by our fantastic chefs! Our Bonfire Night ended with an amazing display of fireworks planned by our brilliant maintenance team.

To all the residents and staff at Hethersett Hall: thank you—you are amazing!

In the week leading up to Halloween, the residents of Hethersett Hall enjoyed getting creative with pumpkin carving. Activities staff got a selection of different sized pumpkins, as well as watermelons and coloured peppers, to provide a variety of colour. The residents' creations were on show around the home for everyone to enjoy!

Usually, our residents love celebrating Halloween with visitors from Friend in Deed, but this year, we had to find new ways to support these very special friendships which bring such joy to our residents' lives.

We took part in experiments to create bubbling cauldrons, which were organised and hosted by the wonderful Lucy and other little visitors via Zoom. Residents were so grateful to see their younger friends! We ended our Halloween celebrations with a 'virtual trick or treat', giving residents the chance to interact with young visitors dressed up for Halloween. A huge thank you to Kelly and Lucy for organising these amazing events to maintain inter-generational friendships in these difficult times. It means the world to our residents.

On Friday the 30th October, residents got involved with Halloween-themed games, such as 'hook an apple', 'guess the weight of the pumpkin', ghostly target shooting and 'Lemon a la Witch'. Each resident scored points for their attempt and received prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Staff dressed up in costumes for the occasion, which brought smiles to the residents' faces.

Happy Halloween from us all!

In the week leading up to Remembrance Day, residents were busy painting lots and lots of poppies to create a display for our home. Everyone gathered round to chat as they painted. Activities staff put all the poppies together to create a heart-shaped display for residents to enjoy and appreciate their work.

On Remembrance Sunday, staff and residents held a two minute silence followed by a church service via Zoom. This occasion is a very important time for so many, especially our residents: to honour and remember those who gave so much.

We will remember them!