Activities at Westergate House Care Home
Our activities team are great at building the activities programme around the likes and interests of the people we care for. Ensuring that our social events offer fun and adventure is part of the ethos of our home; it’s important that those we support can enjoy an active and social lifestyle. Of course, there will always be those who prefer peace and quiet, and in these instances, a cup of tea and a chat are always welcomed.
Lee Austin
My name is Lee and I am the Head of Lifestyle here at Westergate House.
I support our residents daily to do the things they enjoy and it is extremely important to me that we are offering a premium and person centred service to each resident. I support our residents on a daily basis by providing meaningful and quality activities either in groups or on a 1:1 basis, to help encourage and build confidence while creating an enjoyable environment for everyone. Westergate House is the home of our residents, we as staff are working in it, so it is extremely important to me that we are respectful of that, while offering a premium and person centred service to each and every resident.
I am a trained actor and professional vocalist and not shy in making a fool of myself. If I do that every day to put a smile on our residents faces then I’m happy I have played my part, along with the rest of the amazing team, to brightening their day. If you hear someone singing along the corridor or see them dancing in the lounges, it will probably be me.
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 Westergate House Care Home
Virtual Workshop to make Table Centre Flower Decorations
Residents at Westergate House were keen to take part in the seasonal Barchester Virtual Event.
A workshop hosted by the amazing Central Lifestyle Team took everyone on a step-by-step guide on how to create beautiful table centre pieces.
Bex introduced the event and Kathryn Delve talked us through the stages of preparing cut flowers and arranging them into a festive spray that would be a credit to any Christmas table.
Our residents thoroughly enjoyed the event and were quick to develop their own creative signatures to the ideas demonstrated by Kathryn.
Families and friends also joined in and the afternoon was a great way to start preparations for the festive season.
Mini-bus trip to enjoy festive displays at Haskins Garden Centre
The Westergate House mini-bus can often be spotted out and about in the local community visiting areas of interest and local events.
This week we organised a trip to Haskins Garden Centre to enjoy the Christmas displays and festivities. It was lovely wandering around the beautiful Christmas arrangements of gifts and decorations.
A time to reminisce, and also to look forward to the seasonal celebrations.
A stop at the café was a must, and the tea and cake refreshment break was a lovely treat to relax and gather ourselves before the trip home.
A Fireworks Extravaganza
Oh what a night! The Fireworks Extravaganza at Westergate House certainly went with a bang, - and a whizz, crackle and pop!
A fabulous occasion enjoyed by all. With over 100 visitors, including residents and staff from two of our sister homes, Wimborne House and Marriott House, we looked to the skies for a sparkling spectacle of colour.
Paul, Senior General Manager, grabbed our attention with a welcome over the microphone, and then the illuminations began!
At the helm, Roger, Head of Maintenance, and Lee, Lifestyles Lead, organised the bash and lit the fireworks at a safe distance in the gardens. Our residents took seats by the portico, along with relatives and friends, and watched the performance unfold.
Chef Konnie and her team prepared cups of soup and hot chocolate to ward off the chilly air, followed by hotdogs to warm us through after the display. It was super to see so many faces, and a delight to celebrate a seasonal event together.
Haskins Trip
Trips out in the Westergate House minibus are an exciting part of the week. On this occasion, Lifestyles Lead, Lee, and his team organised a trip to Haskins Garden Centre for a relaxing stroll around the Christmas displays.
It was fabulous! Such beautiful decorations, trees and fairy lights to walk round and admire. Residents purchased a few gifts and chatted about Christmases gone by. Always lovely to reminisce happy memories – especially over tea and cake in the Haskins café. A wonderful afternoon enjoyed by all.
Doctor's visit
The activities calendar is a very important part of life at Westergate House, and residents are keen to know what is happening in the home each day.
Occasionally the residents themselves offer to provide an event to include in the diary, and we were delighted when one of the residents in the House community offered to talk about his life work as a doctor. It was a popular event, attended by many of his peers, and incredibly interesting to hear the experiences and anecdotes.
The doctor explained his involvement with development and research on several leading medical procedures. It was a wonderful explanation of a heart-warming journey, with a few comical stories along the way. Head Chef Chris provided delicious refreshments of tea, coffee, cakes and treats, for everyone to enjoy.
60th Wedding celebrations
Westergate House were honoured to host a very special occasion for a resident and her husband. A sixtieth wedding anniversary was celebrated in style, with a three-course lunch specially prepared by Head Chef Chris and his team.
Before the happy event, Chris chatted with the couple about favourite meals and created a bespoke menu that reflected their choices. Seated at a table in the bistro, the happy couple enjoyed Sautéed Woodland Mushrooms with a Cream Sauce to start, followed by Duck breast cooked in a bath of water at 58 degrees, then pan fried with Red Wine and Blackberry Jus, and a dessert of Banana Split ice cream with glazed banana.
The fabulous lunch was washed down with homemade wine brought in by the resident’s husband. A really wonderful lunch and a truly memorable time for both of them.
Upcoming events
Countdown to Christmas
Counting down the days to Christmas with a fun filled month ahead and we extend a warm invitation for you to join us as we get into the festive spirit. Merry Christmas!
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.
