Activities at Newlands Care Home
Activities within our home are tailored around the requests of residents. Our Activities Coordinator holds regular activity meetings to seek new thoughts and ideas. The home is committed to offering a varied range of activities for all residents, from hand and nail care to gardening for those who have green fingers. We carry out reminiscence activities, including planned entertainment days, bringing the seaside into the home or dance hall meetings.
We hold strong links with the community, especially schools and local children's sports teams, who visit the home to provide entertainment and engagement with residents. We also maintain relationships with the church to ensure that residents’ spiritual beliefs are met. Externally, we have our own minibus, and outings are planned and carried out, again tailored to residents’ preferences, whether it be shopping, visits to the local pub, tea and coffee afternoons, or a scenic day out in the lakes and lovely countryside that surrounds us. However, the fun does not stop at the residents we care for, but we also hold events to involve family and the wider community.
Hlabekile Nyoni (Nayoni)
Hlabekile Nyoni known by everyone as "Nayoni" is the Activities Co-Ordinator at Newlands Care Centre as of December 2023. Hlabekile joined the Barchester team in August 2023 on a part time basis then later became fulltime at the end of December 2023.
"Nayoni" says, ‘ I love sharing my ideas and knowledge to make residents life at Newlands enjoyable and memorable for them and their families. Each day is a different day and each resident is different therefore I always put that into consideration when coming up with activities that can suit each individual. I am so glad to work with a great team throughout the home, from housekeeping, clinical, care, kitchen, maintenance, admin and managers all play a pivotal role in my work. With my strong artistic background I find it easier to come up with creative ideas. I love my job here at Newlands.
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
Activities and Events Partnerships
As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies
Life at Newlands Care Home
St Patrick's Day
Happy St Patrick's Day! Today we celebrated St Patrick’s Day in recognition of the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. The home was decorated with shamrocks and we all enjoyed exploring the Irish culture and reminiscing about how residents have celebrated St Patrick’s Day through a variety of themed activities such as baking Irish scones.
Theatre inspired virtual talk
We had a lovely time joining Angela Cobbin for a theatre-inspired virtual talk about her book ‘My Name is Not Wigs’. ‘My Name Is Not Wigs’ is the ultimate read for fans of witty behind-the-curtains memoirs, especially those with a penchant for the bright lights of stage and screen: tears and accolades aplenty!
Virtual tour of Cliveden
We were treated to an amazing live virtual talk and a tour of Cliveden, hosted by the house and chapel guides from the National Trust Talks Service.
The volunteers kindly gave us a tour around the famous house taking an in-depth look at Cliveden’s many stories from its 350 year history, from devilish dukes to scandalous headlines and boundary-breaking garden designs to political notoriety.
Starting with the Duke of Buckingham who built the first house in 1666, our residents met the key owners who helped shape the house and its gardens including the Orkney, Sutherland and Astor families.
The talk was accompanied by an illustrated presentation which brought to life these individuals and showed how their influence at Cliveden still continues today.
Nutrition and Hydration Week
Our residents and staff took part in this year’s Nutrition and Hydration Week.
Throughout the week, we focused on fun-filled educational activities on the value of food and drink in maintaining health and wellbeing, sensory and tasting sessions.
Members of our talented hospitality team prepared delicious mocktails and fresh nutritious dishes, containing super snacks, fruit salads and smoothies for all to enjoy.
A fabulous time was had by all.
Pancake Day
The first day of March was busy as we marked not only St David’s Fay but also Pancake Day. Pancake Day or Shove Tuesday is the traditional feast day before the Lent on Ash Wednesday.
Our residents had a wonderful day, filled with pancake-inspired activities, they prepared homemade pancakes and decorated them with fresh fruit, berries, syrup and chocolate.
We watched some hilarious pancake races and some of our colleagues took part in our very own pancake flipping competition. It was a fun day, enjoyed by all.
Baking Club
Residents from Newlands enjoyed an afternoon of Krispy cake making as part of their baking masterclass which took them back to their younger years. Baking sessions are a popular activity for the home and the activity had taste buds tingling.
Upcoming events
Countdown to Christmas
Take a look at all of the wonderful festive events and activities throughout December. Please feel free to join our celebrations. Contacts us for more information.
