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
Christmas games
Residents and staff at Newlands are feeling festive in the run up to Christmas, making Christingles, baking and decorating Christmas gingerbread biscuits and enjoying an afternoon of games!
Magic of the Nutcracker
We experienced the magic of the Nutcracker with a special interactive workshop led by English National Ballet Associate Artists.
Our residents were able to take a magical journey thorough Edwardian London and to learn more about the enchanted Nutcracker characters: Clara, the Mouse King, and her valiant Nutcracker doll. The session included a chair-based dance workshop, clips of the ballet on stage and a Christmas carol sing-along, truly enjoyed by all.
Chocolate truffles
We had a lovely time joining Paul Hawkins and Steve Wilkes from Unilever for an exciting immersive Christmas experience.
Our residents were welcomed with chocolate treats as Paul and Steve took them on an exciting chocolate truffle making and biscuit decorating journey.
To finish off the Christmas special event, our residents enjoyed a themed quiz and a singalong.
We all had a wonderful time.
Christmas lights
We experienced the Christmas extravaganza of Blenheim Palace with Social Historian - Antonia Keaney, who took us on a recorded tour around the Christmas sights at the palace this year.
Our residents were able to discover the story of The Nutcracker re-imagined within the palace rooms, each one exquisitely transformed and filled with hidden surprises – from the toymaker’s workshop on a frosty Christmas Eve; through the glistening Land of Snow and onto the candy-cane Kingdom of Sweets adorned with the sweetest of treats and larger-than-life gingerbread men.
Then the residents explored the after-dark illuminated trail in the palace’s picture-perfect gardens. A feast for the senses, as we witnessed glittering tunnels of light, dancing lakeside reflections, trees drenched in jewel-like colour and mesmerising flickering flames in the fire garden.
It was a truly magical experience, enjoyed by all.
Baubles
We all had a wonderful time joining Jennifer Owen - founder of Goldfinch Floral Studio for a creative floral bauble workshop.
Jennifer transported our residents to the out of the ordinary world of flowers and crafts and demonstrated how to create stunning hand-made baubles filled with dried flowers and grasses.
Our residents enjoyed filling and decorating their own glass baubles and their unique creations will be displayed at the home for everyone to enjoy.
Blenheim Palace
Our residents were thrilled to join Antonia Keaney - Blenheim Palace’s Historian for an intriguing virtual talk on Winston Churchill.
The private resources of Blenheim Palace were drawn upon to afford very new and refreshing insights into this remarkable man. During the talk Antonia shared fascinating information about the breadth of talent, achievement and personality of the "Greatest Briton": soldier, politician, statesman, painter, writer, orator, family man - and bricklayer!
We all had a wonderful time and enjoyed learning more about UK’s former Prime Minister.
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.
