Activities at The Fernes Care Home

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.

To celebrate Australia Day, we brought a little "I'’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” fun into our home with a game of What’s in the Box.

Residents bravely popped their hands into the box to guess the object without looking… while everyone else could see exactly what they were holding! The guesses were absolutely hilarious and had us all in stitches.

No creepy crawlies here – just everyday items from around our home – but plenty of laughter, surprise and good-natured fun. It was such a simple game, yet brought so much joy and togetherness to our day.

A fantastic Australia Day celebration filled with smiles, laughter and great company.      

We’re delighted to share that our recent Community Menopause Workshop was a huge success!

Our very own talented Activity Assistant, Karen, hosted two wonderful sessions where she guided participants through Breathwork, Facial Massage, and Meditation — all fantastic techniques to help support women going through menopause.

We also shared informative leaflets and resources. Everyone also enjoyed a selection of herbal teas and delicious fresh fruit platters lovingly prepared by our amazing kitchen team.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us, and an extra special thanks to our beautiful Karen for leading such an inspiring and nurturing workshop.  

Our residents gathered for another wonderful session in the Baking Club, and the dining room was filled with laughter, sweet smells and happy memories of baking at home!

The process of mixing, kneading and cracking eggs gives a real sense of accomplishment and joy. So we encourage the residents to do it all!

Our resident commented ‘ It feels like baking brings us all together, just like it did in the family home’.

Residents have been enjoying gathering for a lively game of bingo, winning lovely prizes and sharing plenty of laughs. A wonderful way to connect and enjoy friendly competition.

We change the prizes each month to give a selection of treats for residents to win.   

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.   

It’s been a lovely week full of simple joys and special moments.

Residents have enjoyed ball games and balloon games on Memory Lane with our care staff. 

Our ground floor ladies gather for social catch-ups in the bistro over coffee and a chat.

The activity room has been full of laughter and creativity too, with residents coming together to enjoy arts and crafts — including making friendship bands.
 
So many smiles, conversations, and moments of togetherness that really make our home feel like home.     
 

Our residents had a wonderful time exploring the art of Indian Coffee painting. Using coffee as their medium, they created beautiful autumn pictures full of rich, earthy tones. 

A wonderful online class supplied by Barchester’s Life Enrichment department.  

Residents have been enjoying chair yoga on the balcony’s in this beautiful weather, still shaded and refreshment’s throughout the exercise classes are very popular 

Established in 1997, ZooLab is a family-run business which aims to educate audiences about animals and the natural world. They amaze, educate and inspire through our ethical and engaging animal encounters.

Our residents were educated and shown a variety of animals in our home. Most residents were brave enough to handle and see for themselves some different animals, such as Dexter the Snake! Sammy the Scorpion and Tilly the Tarantula.

They learnt many facts and had a fascinating afternoon and our Zoo Ranger was amazing. He adapted to meeting the differing needs of our residents and was knowledgeable and patient and engaged with everyone! 

Something a little different for an afternoon at The Fernes!

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.     

This week we had the absolute pleasure of taking our top floor ladies out on a very meaningful minibus trip — one that had been on our wish list. 

We visited the beautiful Porchester Castle and church, taking in the history, the memories, and the peaceful surroundings, before moving on to the Cormorant pub just around the corner. 

We shared many laughs, enjoyed a wonderful conversation in a lovely social setting, and raised a heartfelt toast to a very special lady — a truly touching moment for everyone involved. 

Days like today remind us how important it is to create moments filled with joy, connection, and meaning. A perfect day made even more special by the amazing ladies we were lucky to share it with.

Our residents had an amazing time this week enjoying a trip out with Wet Wheels. They set off on a fantastic adventure, cruising up the River Hamble and even heading up towards Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

Everyone loved experiencing the different speeds of the water – from peaceful gliding to a few exciting splashes!

The trip brought back lots of memories and smiles.

We recently celebrated a wonderful resident turning 100! With a live singer residents and friends and family we danced the afternoon away and celebrated in true style!

We had a wonderful workshop with Anna Chaplin from St Peter’s Church , along with Lynne who gave their time to come and create a Easter Garden with our residents at the start of Holy Week.

Not only did we get creative, we sang hymns and listened to some readings, discussing and listening to each other after.  Anna also read a beautiful prayer to our residents and blessed our home.

“Creating Easter gardens for residents offers numerous benefits, including promoting engagement, sparking creativity, and encouraging social interaction.“

It's a meaningful way to connect with the Easter story, explore faith, and create lasting memories, so thank you, Anna and Lynne for gifting your time to our home.