Activities at The Cedars Bourne Care Home

Another trip to Waterside Garden Centre in the sunshine this month was enjoyed by Janet, Lydia and Teresa.

We had a fun time in the Aquatics department seeing all the exotic fish on show, and Teresa described the smell in the rose’s aisle as "beautifully intoxicating". The residents stopped for hot chocolate and cupcakes before exploring the gift and book departments. We had such a lovely day. We always hate to leave; but look forward to returning in time for the Christmas displays.

A big thank you to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary for the fantastic live virtual event today!

Residents across our services loved seeing the seals up close and learning about the incredible work the sanctuary does to protect them and other wildlife in Cornwall as well.

Everyone truly enjoyed the experience. 

We’ve had another busy week at the Cedars with lots of exciting activities and outings to enjoy.  We had our very own celebration service; the rabbits came for a visit followed by the story of a 1593 Persian Princess.  Our residents played bingo against other Barchester homes and visited the local garden centre for coffee.

There was an evening social, a fun keep fit class and variety hour with Malcolm.  There really is never a dull moment at the Cedars!

Celebrations have been in full swing as one of its residents reaches her centenary in style. Kathleen was joined by staff, relatives, friends and other residents as she received a telegram from the King in recognition of her landmark birthday. A champagne reception was held at the home and guests enjoyed a special birthday cake made by the home’s Head Chef Richard Parrot.

Kathleen was born in Surrey, one of four children. Kath started writing at a very early age, having her first short story published before she was 16, writing under her maiden name Kathleen O’Farrell. During the war she worked in Downing Street, in a secretarial position for a government agency. Kath then moved to Sussex where she combined bringing up a large family with writing children’s books and poetry. Her short stories and homely poems are heartfelt and poignant enabling the reader to clearly visualise her thoughts with her words. Throughout her life Kath has been involved with charity work especially supportive of animal and child welfare, as she loves children, nature and all animals passionately. She continued to write well into her eighties, she now shares her stories with 21 grandchildren and as she says, “too many to count!” great children. Family is very important to her and she is dearly loved by them all.

Residents and staff at Cedars Care Home decorated their home and garden to re-create the atmosphere of the carnival this August.

Staff, residents and visitors have had a fantastic time experiencing all the flavours of the carnival from street food to cocktails and live music, there has been a real carnival vibe at the home.

To celebrate World Calligraphy Day we tried our hand at something new. We looked at the most beautiful Book of Kells to see how the masters of old did it. The writing and illuminations are quite extraordinary, especially when you think when they were created. We practised some italic lettering and then had some fun exchanging the letters of our names for Pict Lettering,  an ancient Celtic script. Finally writing our Pict names on a bookmark to keep. We worked so hard we enjoyed a lovely cup of tea and a singsong out on the garden terrace.