Activities at Kingfisher Lodge Care Home

Our culinary-minded residents made a couple of batches of fairy cakes for the whole home to enjoy. Everything smelled delicious. With hundreds and thousands flying everywhere and a slight mist of icing sugar filling the air, we had a lovely time.
We stopped for a cuppa while they were in the oven to talk about our memories of baking. 

One resident and his wife told us of a story where they remember their son putting his fingers in all the jam while making jam buns and another resident posed the question “how many cakes must we have made throughout our lives?” to which most people answered “hundreds."    

We had a beautiful start to our day yesterday with the amazing Shannon treating us to some classic wartime morale-boosting songs, and she really looked the part in uniform.

Residents sang along, waving their union flags, and with Shannon sparking conversations about VE Day memories with pictures of Vera Lyn, old ration books and wartime fashions, it made it more than just a concert. It was a real celebration of the times.         

One of our male residents recalled a memory of a street party where he received a random kiss from a beautiful blonde stranger who, as a young man at the time, stayed with him all these years. His smile while telling his story was truly a special moment to be a part of.   

Afterwards, residents shared a VE Day Great British lunch of traditional fish and chips, with newspaper front pages from 1945 on the table to remind everyone how the country celebrated this amazing day.

We celebrated Easter in many ways this year, from real-life Bunny visits to a church service with Easter bonnets, Easter weekend we had an Easter egg hunt for local children and a fundraiser for the local charity, Operation Community Hamper, where we had an amazing Easter raffle, and we were entertained by fabulous singer Nick Pallett, we raised an amazing £170 on the day and everyone went home smiling.          

At Kingfisher Lodge, Valentine’s Day was marked with a heartfelt celebration of love in all its forms — both cherished memories and the connections we continue to nurture every day.

Residents, families, and staff came together for a warm and uplifting afternoon dedicated to honouring love past and present. The home was filled with laughter, stories, and shared moments as loved ones gathered to spend meaningful time together.

Guests enjoyed live music that brought a wonderful atmosphere to the day, with familiar songs sparking smiles, singalongs, and even a few dances. Refreshments were served throughout the afternoon, giving everyone the chance to relax, chat, and enjoy each other’s company.

For many, the day was a touching opportunity to reflect on loved ones who are no longer with us, while also celebrating the friendships and bonds that continue to grow within our Kingfisher Lodge community.

It was a truly special occasion that highlighted what matters most — connection, companionship, and the enduring power of love.

We are so lucky to have two PAT dogs that come to Kingfisher Lodge. Chocolate Labrador Willows is one of them.

Visits from animals often make for wonderful memories, but there’s something very special about a dog visit. It is a proven scientific fact that dogs can help your body release happy hormones, combat loneliness, reduce anxiety and increase self-confidence, all of which are crucial in a care home setting. Five minutes giving love and affection to Willow is an absolute tonic to most of our residents.

“Dogs make your home feel whole again,” said Keith, one of our residents, during his willow visit.      

We celebrated England’s first win of the World Cup while getting together and having some match snacks and beverages to watch the beautiful game.

Our amazing night staff not only served up this lovely evening feast but also joined our residents to cheer on our national team.

Claudia our general manager had this message for our night team “while most of us are asleep, you are here caring for our residents, keeping them safe, comfortable, and reassured throughout the night, your efforts do not go unnoticed, please know that your contribution is valued and appreciated every single day.”

A huge thank you was given to all of our amazing nurses for the care, compassion and dedication they show every single day to our residents and their families. They truly make a difference.

Our residents enjoyed making special thank you cards for all of our nurses, and we also treated them to some chocolates as a small token of our appreciation. We were also delighted to host a breakfast morning for our nurses and local community nurses, giving everyone the chance to enjoy a lovely breakfast and a drink before starting their busy day.      

For “Wear A Hat Day”, we threw a mad hatters tea party to raise awareness and donations for Brain Tumour Research.

Residents, staff and visitors had amazing fun putting on all the silly hats. We all enjoyed great company as well as the delicious cakes and biscuits on offer. We were even treated to a little dance show by our brilliant admin team.

It was great fun to be joined by friends and families as well as members of the community for such a great cause.   

Every month, we invite the local community to bring along their toddler to our toddler group, the Mini fishers. We had lots of fun with sensory toys and everyone enjoyed the yummy fruit for a snack. Two of our residents went from serving plastic food at the shop to fresh fruit at snack time.

We had some new little faces and also those who have been coming along regularly since we started our group back in 2024! “It’s so wonderful seeing them grow and develop new skills as they get older,” remarked one resident.

Intergenerational activities like these are so important to build relationships and also to bring back memories of the past.    

What a fantastic sport our General Manager Claudia was. Not only was she an Elf all day and going about her everyday duties, but she also took part in Challenge Elf, making toys, guessing the festive food item, solving riddles and a scavenger hunt running all over the building!
Our residents had such a giggle with her they even threw snowballs at her when she was singing!
Claudia was raising money for the Barchester Charitable Foundation- a charity that helps elderly people in the community battle isolation and loneliness. Thank you Claudia for all you do for our residents, staff and Barchester!

Some of our residents enjoyed a wonderful day out at Bristol Zoo Project. Everyone enjoyed the sunshine, seeing the wonderful animals, and spending quality time together making special memories. 

There were plenty of smiles and laughter all around. The bears were a great sighting in the new habitat that they have at this wildlife centre. We got to see them up close while we made our way along the tree-top accessible pathway.      

We took advantage of the fine weather by going for a little walk to our local café in the morning with a few of our residents and then in the same afternoon we went along to the local monthly coffee afternoon at Saltford hall.

There’s nothing better than enjoying a delicious cup of coffee and a piece of cake in good company, especially when the sun is shining!

We enjoy going out on day trips in a minibus, but we also know how lucky we are situated here at Saltford and how we can access our community so easily. It’s important to feel a sense of belonging where you live and being able to use our local facilities and join community groups helps our residents feel this too.    

Our residents have been busy getting their hands into the soil, planting beautiful spring flowers and giving our raised beds a good de-weed. The raised beds make gardening accessible for everyone, so it’s been wonderful to see so many residents getting involved and enjoying the experience together.

Soaking up the sunshine while gardening made it even more special, it truly feels like spring is here!   

We took some more residents out in the minibus and back to Oakham Treasures this week.

Oakham Treasures is a huge museum dedicated to past memorabilia and collectors’ items from thimbles to triumphs. There’s a whole barn dedicated to tractors and another that is laid out like the local shops of a bygone era, it really has something to look at for everyone!

Our residents had a lovely day and also a delicious lunch in the cafe there. Resident Diane was so amused by the Wallace and Gromit statues that she couldn’t stop laughing at them!      

Once again, we kick started the second leg of the Saltford Santa trail this year when we welcomed Santa and his sleigh to our not so little gathering here at Kingfisher Lodge care centre.
We waited with mince pies, Christmas drinks and some very dubious carol singing in our reception, and then with music and light the main man and his sleigh appeared. Local children all raced outside to see him, some with gifts of drawings they made for him earlier in the day.
Santa then came inside to say “Ho Ho Ho” to all our residents, he even had time for a photo opportunity outside by his sleigh before leaving!
General manager Claudia said “The atmosphere was so festive we all felt the magic of Christmas. We would like to thank Saltford Community Association for choosing our home to be the starting point to Santas journey and we were more than happy to donate to their chosen charity Children's Hospice Southwest”.