Activities at The Fernes Care Home

Resident Sonia and Admin Assistant Becci at The Fernes Care Home enjoyed an unforgettable fine dining experience after winning a fun and engaging blindfolded palate challenge. The challenge saw participants put their taste buds to the test by identifying a variety of foods while blindfolded. After impressing everyone with their refined palate, the winning team were rewarded with a luxurious four-course meal specially prepared by the home's talented chef, Grazia.

The Bistro was transformed into a restaurant-style setting for the occasion, creating a truly special atmosphere. Sonia and Becci were treated like VIP guests while members of The Fernes team served each course with a smile and ensured they both enjoyed this memorable experience. The menu was prepared from the ideas both Sonia and Becci put forward as their favourite meals, which consisted of a Chicken Caesar Salad, Seabass a main course followed by fresh strawberries with cream.

Alina Danetiu, General Manager of The Fernes Care Home, said: “We are always looking for creative ways to bring joy and meaningful experiences to our residents. The blindfolded palate challenge was great fun for everyone involved, and it was wonderful to celebrate the winners with a special fine-dining meal. Our chef created an amazing four-course menu, and our colleagues thoroughly enjoyed serving our winners and making them feel extra special. It was a fantastic day filled with laughter, great food, and wonderful memories.”

The event reflects The Fernes Care Homes' ongoing commitment to providing engaging activities and creating meaningful moments that promote wellbeing, friendship, and a sense of community for everyone who lives and works at the home.

We are so excited to introduce our wonderful new Pets as Therapy dog, Waffle! 

Waffle is a three-year-old long-haired dachshund who visited our home for the very first time yesterday, accompanied by his lovely owner, Claire. From the moment they arrived, they brought smiles, warmth and plenty of excitement to our residents.

It’s safe to say that Waffle was an instant hit! Residents absolutely adored spending time with him, enjoying lots of fuss, cuddles and conversation. The positive impact animals can have on wellbeing is truly remarkable, and we are delighted to be welcoming Waffle into our home on a regular basis.

We can’t wait to add Waffle to our activity schedules, including room visits for those who prefer to stay in their own space, ensuring as many residents as possible can enjoy the comfort, companionship and therapeutic benefits that he brings.

A huge thank you to Claire for sharing Waffle with us. We are looking forward to many happy visits ahead! 

Residents have enjoyed Barchester's live Scotch and Whiskey event this month, even though residents did not want to drink the alcohol we arrange for some original Whiskey infused coffee from Scottland to be brought o the home! Residents enjoyed the coffees with biscuits and each other’s company whilst engaged with the live event on the screen!

This afternoon, our residents enjoyed a wonderfully relaxed and sociable gin tasting session, inspired by a lovely conversation about favourite drinks. Our Activities Lead, Gemma – who is rather partial to a cheeky gin herself – brought in a delightful selection of flavoured gins, along with a variety of tonics and lemonades.

We transformed part of our ground floor into a charming little tasting area, where the ladies sampled different blends, enjoyed some light nibbles, and shared plenty of laughter along the way. It was a fantastic opportunity to try something new, with many residents experiencing flavoured gin for the very first time!                  

One of the standout favourites of the afternoon was the delicious rhubarb and ginger gin – a real hit!

We also spent time learning about the different gins, where they come from, and what makes each one unique, making it both a fun and engaging experience.

All drinks were served in small, measured amounts, ensuring everything was enjoyed safely and responsibly in a calm and supportive environment.

A truly lovely afternoon filled with smiles, stories, and a touch of something special.

One of our minibus trips this month was just as special, making the most of the beautiful sunshine with a visit to Daedalus Airfield. Our gents had a fantastic time watching helicopters – including the police helicopter – and light aircraft taking off and landing. There’s something truly captivating about being so close to the action! 

Of course, no trip is complete without refreshments, and they enjoyed sitting out, soaking up the sunshine and the atmosphere.

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than with a delicious homemade sundae?

Our Head Chef, Grazia, treated our residents to a truly indulgent creation, made completely from scratch. Creamy rum and raisin ice cream, topped with frozen double cream, fresh strawberries, colourful sprinkles and a drizzle of rich pistachio sauce, a real summer delight!

These were delivered out into the garden, where residents enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in the shade. Although it’s still beautifully warm, today’s weather has been much kinder than the recent heatwave, making it the perfect opportunity to enjoy some fresh air together.

Alongside our homemade sundaes, our afternoon refreshment trolleys have been stocked with a wonderful selection of ice creams, ice lollies and fresh melon, all helping to keep everyone cool, refreshed and well hydrated during the warmer weather.        

Today we got creative with a wonderful recycling project, transforming old books that had seen better days – with missing pages or no longer suitable for reading – into beautiful flower book vases.

At first, some of our residents were a little unsure of what the finished creation would look like, but with guidance from Gemma in Activities, everyone soon got stuck in. As the project began to take shape, the excitement grew, and the finished results certainly did not disappoint!

The handmade book vases look absolutely fantastic and are now proudly displayed throughout our home, brightening up our reading nooks and creating a lovely feature in reception. Not only have we given new life to books that could no longer be enjoyed in the traditional way, but we have also added colour, creativity and personality to our surroundings.

Most importantly, our residents were incredibly proud of what they achieved. Seeing their finished creations on display around the home has brought lots of smiles and a real sense of accomplishment.

Our Top Floor residents have enjoyed a lovely week of flower arranging after watching the beautiful Chelsea Flower Show on the TV  Together we created some gorgeous flower displays for around our home whilst enjoying a wonderful social afternoon filled with chats, laughter and creativity. A lovely way to brighten everyone’s day!

Today’s minibus trip took us to the D-Day Story, where our ladies enjoyed a truly meaningful day out.

We explored the remarkable Overlord Embroidery – 34 hand-stitched panels stretching an incredible 83 metres, telling the story of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. Commissioned by Lord Dulverton in 1968, the designs were created by artist Sandra Lawrence, who carefully studied wartime photographs before bringing each scene to life.     

The embroidery itself was beautifully crafted by skilled women at the Royal School of Needlework using traditional techniques like appliqué and ‘pricking and pouncing’, with over 50 different materials – even real uniforms – all stitched by hand over five years.

We chose this trip especially as one of our residents who has a real love for embroidery, and it was so special to see her (and everyone else!) take such joy and interest in something so detailed and inspiring. A lovely day filled with history, creativity, and smiles.       

Residents enjoyed a lively game of bingo on the ground floor, where residents played for a line and a full house. 

There were lots of laughs, a little friendly competition and some very happy winners who received yummy chocolate treats to keep in their bedrooms and enjoy later. This is becoming a very popular activity and its great to see the residents bonding.   

Residents and staff at The Fernes Care Home enjoyed a vibrant celebration of World Culture Day yesterday afternoon, bringing people together through food, music and cultural traditions from around the globe. Staff proudly dressed in their traditional national outfits, representing a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Staff also prepared and shared a selection of authentic dishes from their home countries, giving residents and colleagues the opportunity to sample new flavours and learn more about different cultures.

The home was filled with the sounds of traditional music from around the world, creating a lively and joyful atmosphere throughout the day. Residents enjoyed hearing stories about different countries, exploring cultural traditions, and joining in the celebrations.
The event highlighted the diversity within the care home team and provided a wonderful opportunity for residents and staff to come together, share experiences and celebrate the unique backgrounds that make up the home’s community.

Alina Danetiu, General Manager of The Fernes Care Home, said: “World Culture Day was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the rich diversity of our team and the wider community. Seeing staff proudly wear their traditional clothing, share food from their cultures and enjoy music together created a truly special atmosphere. Our residents thoroughly enjoyed learning about different traditions and trying new foods, and it was wonderful to see everyone having such a good time.”

The celebration was a great success, with smiles, laughter and conversation shared throughout the day, reinforcing The Fernes Care Home’s commitment to creating an inclusive, welcoming and enriching environment for everyone.

Today we celebrated Ladies’ Day at Ascot in style, with our residents dusting off their finest hats and fascinators for a wonderful afternoon of music, laughter and elegance.

The fantastic Freddy Saxo provided the perfect soundtrack, filling the home with beautiful jazz and soulful melodies while residents relaxed and enjoyed a refreshing glass of Pimms, complete with fresh fruit and all the traditional accompaniments.

Our ladies absolutely loved trying on the different hats and fascinators, feeling every bit as glamorous as if they were attending Ascot itself. The afternoon sparked plenty of smiles, conversations and memories, creating a truly special atmosphere throughout the home.

A huge thank you goes to the families who kindly donated hats and fascinators, and to Gemma’s mum for her generous contribution. Your kindness helped make our ladies feel extra special and added the perfect finishing touch to a wonderful Ladies’ Day celebration. 

Another fantastic beach trip today as we make the most of this beautiful heatwave heading our way.  This morning we enjoyed a lovely visit to Stokes Bay, taking in the fresh sea air, beautiful views and of course a well-earned ice cream! These outings are always so beneficial for our residents, bringing back wonderful memories and sparking fantastic conversations about sailing around the Isle of Wight and seaside holidays gone by.

It was also extra special to welcome one of our residents’ wives along with us for the morning, making even more lovely memories together.  We are absolutely loving getting our residents out and about more on our minibus and making the most of the amazing places we have right on our doorstep. Just one of the many activities enjoyed today! 

We’ve had a lovely time getting creative with our Easter flower arranging, making some carrot-tactic flower vases using Easter bunny carrots! Such a fun and colourful activity enjoyed by all.

Our residents’ beautiful Easter garden is now proudly displayed at the front of the home for everyone to admire… a wonderful showcase of their hard work and creativity.

Don’t forget, if you took part in our Easter picture colouring competition, please return your entries to us!

We’ve also put up our Easter decorations ready for the weekend… we hope you all enjoy them as much as we do.            

It was so lovely to see families visiting the home today to spend time with their loved ones for Mother’s Day. The Fernes hosted a cake and tea afternoon for families to enjoy together.  

Seeing residents enjoy special moments with their children and families truly made the day extra special. Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate and make it such a warm and happy day.