Activities at The Cedars Bourne Care Home

Residents and staff got into the spirit of things by creating Halloween decorations and decorating the home, holding a Monster Halloween Prize Bingo, followed by a themed Halloween Party serving Shadowy Spirits and Ghoulish Cocktails, and Familiar Sweety Treats. 

Popular entertainer and vocalist, Alan Jackson in full Zombie mode treated us to a medley of spellbinding songs. 

We are so lucky to have such a diverse group of residents here at The Cedars. This month  Sima, who comes from Tehran, was visited by her little sister Minoo and her husband Ian, all the way from New Zealand. Minoo had brought Persian treats, including Sima's favourite, little yellow Chickpea Candies. 

Sima was keen for us to try them, saying: "You won’t have had anything like these before," and she was right! We then tried Sohan, a biscuit with pistachios, saffron, cardamom and almond: the aromatic fragrance and flavour was unbelievably delicious. An afternoon of fun and laughter ensued, as you can see....the photograph simply speaks for itself.   

This month we worked on ‘finding your inner Monet’ with a masterclass focussed on the iconic Impressionist painter.  

No matter your age or ability, there is always something for everyone in art, and everyone is able to join in, whatever their skill level. The paintings and mindful colouring produced were remarkable.    

Staff and residents were treated to a live talk entitled ‘Natural Pigments Inspired by South Asian Miniature Painting’ hosted by Holly Power and Rafin Jannat from the V&A South Kensington.

In celebration of National Art in Care Homes Day, residents joined Holly from the V&A Learning team and designer-artist Rafin Jannat for a live make-along. They learned about the stunning work of artists, designers and craftspeople that feature in the South Asia Gallery at the V&A South Kensington

It is with bittersweet feelings that we say Goodbye and Happy Retirement to our wonderful hairdresser Sue. Staff and residents gathered together at coffee morning, to surprise Sue with a party to wish her all the best in her retirement. 

Sue has been pampering our residents with hairdressing and manicures for twenty-six years! With signed cards, flowers and a cake presented by our Senior General Manager Becky Aldred, Sue was so happy to see all of her clients and friends gathered together to say ‘bon voyage’. 

Sue: it's amazing what you have achieved, one resident said "Every time I go in that salon I come out feeling a million dollars", and staff ‘wish you well in your retirement, you've made such strong friendships with residents and staff alike during your time here and we know you'll be back regularly to see us all’.

We all just want to wish you the very, very best for the future and hopefully a little slower pace of life. Best wishes to you from all of us.

Boots 'n' Strings had us all singing and dancing this month as we raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support as part of their Biggest Coffee Morning. There was a lot of fun and laughter throughout the afternoon, especially when Barbara auditioned as their new roadie! Thank you to our awesome volunteer Josephine Pollard for sharing the afternoon with us – it was extra special for you here.

We collected donations over the weekend, and through sales of delicious homemade cakes and freshly brewed coffee, we made over £60 for the charity. Thank you all for supporting us and helping us raise money for this wonderful charity.    

Celebrations have been in full swing as one of our residents reaches her centenary in style. Gladys was joined by staff, relatives, friends and other residents as she received a birthday card from the King and Queen in recognition of her landmark birthday. A family party was held at the home, with guests flying in from Austria. A buffet lunch and bubbles were served to mark this extra special occasion.

The home was filled with fun and laughter as Gladys' children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren surprised her with gifts, cards and flowers. Gladys was physically moved as Freddie, Noah and Evie ran into the room, surprising great grandma with their appearance, flying in from Munich, where they live, just the night before. Music is in Gladys’ family; Gladys and her late husband loved music and their daughter, Sarah, is a professional violinist, so The Cedars arranged to have pianist, Lincoln Noel, play at the party. His music filled the home and was enjoyed by all, with some dancing, some waltzing and everybody singing, especially the 100th birthday melody to the great lady herself.
 

Swines Meadow Farm Nursery was a step back in time! Filled with curios from antique iron Victorian cow byres and stalls to vintage telephones and weighted sack lifts, we travelled through continents with plants from Asia, America, New Zealand and Africa. It was a treasure to visit! 

Don and Vera had a lovely time exploring the overgrown jungle-like paths in the wild garden, admiring the incredible age of the olive tree (168 years!) and sampling the delicious cakes made with home-grown fruit. "We've had a lovely time!" 

Animal therapy is such a benefit to everyone - staff and residents eagerly await our monthly visit; and this month Michelle's Animal Therapy & Petting Party was a full house with over thirty people at the party, as well as individual room visits from Boots the Cat. 

Bert couldn't stop laughing when his new gecko friend took a flying leap from his hand to his shirt! It was another amazing visit, thank you so much Michelle.

The residents and community had an incredibly successful “Giving Back Day” with Sarah-Jayne Knight, team leader in care, organising and holding the event in the beautiful gardens at The Cedars in Bourne. Donations of toiletries, clothes, children’s wear, toys and gifts had flooded in for Sarah-Jayne to redistribute to those in the community in need. 

The sun shone and our Mayor, Councillor Colin Pattison and his wife consort, Fiona Pattison were in attendance. Our residents were thrilled to meet them, and their support to this community venture was immeasurable.

Oktoberfest was great fun today! Residents were treated to a wonderful German menu created by our resident Hilde; who enjoyed the opportunity to revisit some of her favourite foods. Treats included pretzels, German beer, borscht and Bavarian beef all freshly made by our head chef Richard Parrott. 

We then took a virtual tour of the most beautiful places in Germany, including the stunning Neuschwanstein Castle; and learnt some simple German phrases. We are looking forward to our next cultural day.  

At our community, coffee morning is getting busier and busier every week! Friends, family and volunteers join our residents each week for chat, music and activities and the atmosphere is wonderful!  

Our volunteers Nigel, Christine and Jo bring laughter and stories that have us (almost) rolling on the floor laughing!

Celebrations have been in full swing at The Cedars as one of its residents reaches his centenary in style. Donald 'Don’ Comar was joined by staff, relatives, friends and other residents as he received a telegram from the King in recognition of his landmark birthday. A family reunion was held at the home, with guests travelling from as far as Dubai to celebrate this extra special occasion.

The home then presented a very special gift: a video birthday message from Manchester United’s men's first-team captain, Bruno Fernandes, to wish one of their oldest players a very happy birthday. Don played for the Manchester United Colts between 1943 and 1946, including matches against both Manchester City and Liverpool. Over his career in the under 21s division, he scored two goals and played with some future football stars. Don was very moved by the video and said he was ‘speechless’ as him and his family listened to the kind words. They said that the recognition from the team made all the difference to Don, who still describes his days at Manchester United with such pride.  
 

"Its so lovely here...I just wish we could stay all day!"

Such a lovely quote from Joan after seeing, stroking and feeding all the beautiful animals at Tiny Steps Petting Farm. We cannot thank the staff enough for their interaction and engagement with us; and both ladies found the history of the animals very interesting and were very happy that all the animals now had a home for life. The morning was completed with tea and sausage rolls in the sunshine. 

Tonderai Makahamadze at The Cedars has been crowned Registered Nurse of the Year for the North East & Scotland Division in the Barchester Care Awards 2025 and is through to the national round of judging.

The Barchester Care Awards celebrate the staff who go the extra mile for the benefit of the 13,500 residents living in Barchester’s 267 care homes and private hospitals across the country. Categories range from ‘Registered Nurse of the Year’ and ‘Carer of the Year’ to ‘Dementia Care Champion’ and ‘Activities Coordinator of the Year’.