Activities at Hilton Park Care Home

On Saturday, we started our day by visiting the Coton Orchard Garden Centre a few miles away from us. The residents explored the garden centre, admired all the beautiful flowers, and enjoyed lovely conversations, as well as tasty carrot cakes and sips of coffee and tea.

Back home, we engaged in various activities, including arts and crafts, individual room visits, and taking some residents out into the garden.

Hilton Park were thrilled to host our highly successful Pudding Club event, showcasing our residents' delicious recipes and the exceptional talents of our chefs, Anthony and Adriana.

We welcomed several esteemed guests, including our speaker, Mr Baker Alex, and Sandra from Tesco Community, who shared insights into his work routine and baking tips. This led to a lively discussion among visitors. We also had members of The WI (National Federation of Women's Institutes) Bottisham, representatives from "The Copy" next door, All Saints Church in Newmarket, Mr Chris Darling from Bottisham Village College, and residents and colleagues from our sister homes, Melbourn Springs Care Home and Oaklands Care Home.

We all enjoyed a lovely chat, meeting new faces with residents. It was so nice to have you all with us. A big thank you to the Hilton Park team for their combined effort in making this event a success.

We were very proud to join Dennis and Beverly as they celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary.

Dennis lives here at Hilton Park, and his wife, Beverly, visits most days. She has become a dear friend to our residents, always making time for them during her visits.

To make their day special, our activities team organised a small surprise party and contacted Dennis's daughters to join the celebration. With some decorations, live music by the Jukebox Legends Peter, and a delightful mixed fruit platter, the occasion was made extra special as Dennis and Beverly were surrounded by their daughters and grandson.

From all of us at Hilton Park, we wish them both a very happy anniversary.

With the recent warm weather, the Hilton Park team decided to visit Milton Country Park for a picnic by the lake. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, watching the ducks and fish, feeling the cool breeze, and listening to the birds. Our team brought their own table, teacups, tea, biscuits, and cakes for the residents to enjoy.

A huge thank you to our Maintenance staff member, Alin, who happily drove our minibus. It was a wonderful team effort to make our residents happy, especially our 104-year-old Dorothy, who was overjoyed. Dorothy made everyone laugh by saying, "I can't swim, but my son Jeffrey can."

We had a great day on Saturday when we hosted our Classic Car Show, creating a heartwarming and memorable afternoon for residents, staff, relatives, and local motoring enthusiasts. The event, held within our scenic grounds, featured an array of classic and vintage vehicles, live music and a delightful atmosphere that brought joy to all attendees.

One of the highlights of the event was the surprise appearance of Toni, a valued business partner and long-time friend of resident Gillian Fry, aged 92. Toni arrived in his 1972 Ford Cortina 2000GT, proudly bearing the family name registration “FRY 925L.” This car, a symbol of their shared history, brought Gillian to the verge of tears as it evoked cherished memories of her late husband and their business, Fry Scales Company, which has been operating since 1935.

Gill expressed her heartfelt emotions, saying, "I was surprised. It brought back so many memories. I felt so important. Toni started as an apprentice with us in 1974 when he was just 18 years old. He’s like our adopted son as we don’t have children. He’s doing so well, and I’m so proud of him. Thank you so much to the Hilton Park team for organizing this event once again this year. You are all amazing."

Richard, a resident of Hilton Park originally from Exning, previously owned a hat shop in Cambridge's Trinity Street before moving to Hilton Park. Besides managing his shop, Richard's favourite pastime has always been fishing after his working hours.

Following his heart surgery and full recovery, Richard is now able to hold a fishing rod again. He has spent half of his life fishing around Cambridgeshire in all seasons and has been longing to fish once more.

With the support of the Hilton Park team, especially our activities team, Richard was taken to the Waterbeach Angling Fishing Club. This initiative aims to support residents in pursuing their hobbies and maintaining a sense of normality in Hilton Park. Richard was over the moon catching fish, identifying the various species, and chatting with the volunteers at the Angling Fishing Club.

Richard expressed his gratitude by saying, "Thank you ever so much. I really appreciate this, I really do. Spending time with me here for a couple of hours is not easy, but here you are'.