Activities at Winchester House Care Home
Our activities team are constantly striving to mentally and physically stimulate those we support by organising group and individual activities for anyone and everyone to participate in. There are regular outings in the minibus to nearby places of interest, including the local priory and garden centres, as well as visits from musicians, a wide range of entertainers. We are lucky enough to have a enthusiastic team of volunteers who regularly visit the home throughout the week, and our yearly pantomime is a real crowd-pleaser and is well-attended by residents, relatives and members of staff. Activities are one of the most important aspects of a care home, so it is essential that our team are dedicated to ensuring that residents are entertained, and that life at Winchester House is fun and active.
![Enriching life](/themes/etype/images/encriching-life-video.jpg)
![Life-encriching activities booklet](/themes/etype/images/life-enriching-activities.jpg)
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 Winchester House Care Home
![Rev'd Mike Hayes Rev'd Mike Hayes](/sites/default/files/styles/care_home_life_at_our_homes/public/activities/Rev%2527d%2520Mike%2520Hayes%2520-%2520Winchester.JPG.webp?itok=2o33N4eP)
Rev'd Mike Hayes
On 25th September, we attended a service where Rev’d Mike Hayes was made Rector of the Parish of Burham & Wouldham All Saints’ Church. The Archdeacon of Tonbridge, The Ven Clive Mansell, was there to install Mike and afterwards, everyone enjoyed refreshments in the church. We look forward to Mike continuing his priestly ministry as Rector and thank him for all his support that he gives us here at Winchester House.
![Wouldham All Saints School’s Scarecrow Competition Wouldham All Saints School’s Scarecrow Competition](/sites/default/files/styles/care_home_life_at_our_homes/public/activities/Scarecrow%2520-%2520Winchester.JPG.webp?itok=L1DmOgLk)
Wouldham All Saints School’s Scarecrow Competition
We had great fun in our community garden this September as we took part in the Wouldham All Saints School’s scarecrow competition. The theme of the competition was superheroes or storybook characters, so here at Winchester House, we created our own Bill Sykes from Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, which we proudly displayed outside the school.
![Olympic Activities Olympic Activities](/sites/default/files/styles/care_home_life_at_our_homes/public/activities/Olympic%2520Activities%2520-%2520Winchester.JPG.webp?itok=_e9z4VRp)
Olympic Activities
During August, we held our own mini Olympics with chair basketball and target games. We also had a great Olympic-themed session with Sue from Motivation. We had some very talented and competitive participants!
![New Recruits New Recruits](/sites/default/files/styles/care_home_life_at_our_homes/public/activities/New%2520Recruits%2520-%2520Winchester.JPG.webp?itok=MqsMYrjE)
New Recruits
Here at Winchester House, we have welcomed five new recruits to our team! Our empathy dolls are a real favourite with residents on our Memory Lane units. Ben, Bonnie, Maria, Maiya and Oliver have been designed to be nurtured by people living with dementia and those who find comfort in nurturing and caring; the dolls can also bring about a real sense of well-being.
![Barchester in Bloom Finalists! Barchester in Bloom Finalists!](/sites/default/files/styles/care_home_life_at_our_homes/public/activities/Barchester%2520in%2520Bloom%25203%2520-%2520Winchester.jpg.webp?itok=UqFfUpGQ)
Barchester in Bloom Finalists!
Residents and staff are overjoyed that their garden has been announced as a regional winner of the Community Garden category for the Barchester in Bloom competition, which aims to promote gardening and to celebrate the beautiful outdoor spaces that are lovingly cared for by residents, staff and the local community.
Judges were impressed by the standard of the home’s garden and picked it out as the top garden for this category in the whole of the South East.
As a regional winner, the garden automatically qualifies for the Barchester in Bloom 2016 national finals. The home will find out whether or not their garden has the best community garden in the UK at an awards ceremony in October, so fingers crossed!
![Kingfisher River Boat Trip Kingfisher River Boat Trip](/sites/default/files/styles/care_home_life_at_our_homes/public/activities/Kingfisher%2520Riverboat%2520Trip%2520-%2520Winchester.JPG.webp?itok=hzP6iIaD)
Kingfisher River Boat Trip
On Monday 25th July, we travelled to Medway Wharf Marina in Wateringbury to board the Kingfisher boat for a day on the river. The Kingfisher has been purpose-built to provide river trips for disabled and disadvantaged people of all ages.
Out on the river, we enjoyed the wildlife, including geese, swans and even spotted a Kingfisher, as well as wildflowers, taking in the beautiful countryside of Kent. Upstream, we passed through Hampstead Lock before stopping at Teapot Island for a picnic laid on by our wonderful catering team.
We then made our way back downstream when some of us tried our hand at steering the boat! We travelled on past the Swan Sanctuary to feed the swans before returning back to moor up at the Marina.
It was a wonderful day for everyone and we'd like to thank skipper John and all the volunteers that made our day a truly special one!