Activities at Hilton Park Care Home

As part of the 'Get Barchester Moving' week for Barchester's Charitable Foundation, Denis, the Home Services Advisor at Hilton Park took up the challenge with a 50km exercise bike ride.

Cheered on by the residents, he completed the challenge in just under 90 minutes and his reward was a big bowl of ice cream.

Well done Denis 👏

We held our first coffee morning at All Saints Church in Newmarket, bringing along a few of our interested residents. The turnout was excellent, and residents from Hilton Park enjoyed meeting local people and sharing stories.

Richard, originally from Exning Road, recalled his teenage years visiting various pubs in Newmarket. Irish explored the church, focusing on the stained glass windows.

We all enjoyed our tea, cakes, and sing-alongs chosen by the attendees, along with a short story about the church.

Thank you to everyone involved. We look forward to seeing you all next month.

We have had another special trip to Scotsdales Nursery and Garden Centre Ltd , reminiscing about the place where one of our residents, Irish, used to visit. Irish lived in Lode, Bottisham, and spent a lot of time at Scotsdales having coffee with friends, looking around for seasonal items, and of course, shopping – just like she does today. Irish said, "Thank you for this wonderful surprise, it has brightened my day."

Another one of our resident's, Brian, added, "I'm partially blind, but I can see the shadows of the flowers and smell them. I'm going home soon, but I will remember all I've done during my stay. I'll be back for sure."

We all had a wonderful time exploring the garden centre, noting every detail of the plants with Richard, who loves gardening.

Exercise is so important for the mind and the body. We are always making sure that our residents are kept active throughout every day and this weekend was no different.

Gentle stretches and balloon activities followed by a well earned cup of tea and piece of cake!!

We've been so busy here in Hilton Park celebrating the 80th anniversary of D-Day. We started our morning by visiting our local village in Bottisham to watch the flag-raising ceremony, commemorating this pivotal moment in history. We read books to our residents in their bedrooms, while some residents focused on watching the live event on television.

We also had special visits from military reenactors, who flew in from Holland to celebrate D-Day in England, particularly at the Bottisham Airfield Museum. They visited the memorial park around the villages with their Military jeep , and we are fortunate to work closely with the Bottisham Airfield Museum and arrange their visit with us.

Our visitors were amazed by the story of one of our residents, Dorothy, and her secret code-breaking days at Bletchley Park. Many of our residents shared stories from their youth, with Bryan brought to tears while recounting stories. We all had a lovely D-Day celebration, enjoying music by Banjo Man as residents waved flags, sang along, and clapped. Morwenna, one of our residents, said it was worth taking the time to remember.

We recently had a beautiful trip to Anglesey Abbey and Gardens where everyone enjoyed exploring the beautiful gardens, taking in the summer sun and the fresh air.

Whilst it might have been a normal outing for us, it was very special for one of our residents, Anne. Anne shared her lovely story of how she volunteered at Anglesey Abbey for almost seven years before moving to Hilton Park.

Anne and her fellow residents had a wonderful time chatting and enjoying a cup of tea and, once we had returned to Hilton Park, Anne expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you for this beautiful opportunity of visiting Anglesey Abbey once again".