Festive elf and safety at our care homes in Swindon

In the lead-up to Christmas there have been festive fun and frolics a-plenty at our comfortable and affordable care homes in Swindon.

At Edgehill Care Home in Swindon the Christmas decorations have been up since the beginning of December. There are several beautiful Christmas trees and bright poinsettias bringing colour and lights into the December days.

Elf Day

At Lansdowne Hill Care Home in Wroughton, the care team and residents start the season with Elf Day. It’s a fun annual event to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. Fourteen team members dressed up in full elf garb, inspiring the team to donate money to a cause close to their hearts. The residents enjoyed laughing at the team’s outfits. And some of the residents joined in with their own funny glasses and hats.

Residents, helped by activities coordinator Jackie, baked a giant elf-shaped gingerbread cookie. All hands were on deck to ensure that just the right amount of ingredients were combined to produce a crispy but chewy delicious cookie. Then out came the cutters and icing as residents set to decorating the cookie with an elf face.

Elf Day was rounded off by raffling the giant cookie. Resident Bob was the winner, and he very quickly declared that he wanted to share it with all the other residents at teatime.

Gingerbread house decorating

The Swindon care homes’ busy Christmas schedule continued into the second week of December. Saturday 12 December was Gingerbread Day, and Lansdowne Hill held a gingerbread house decorating competition. Two teams of residents not only decorated the outside of their gingerbread houses, but also made beautiful snow scene gardens. Everyone who took part won a Christmas chocolate selection box.

You may have noticed by now that December’s activities at our Lansdowne Hill Care Home in Swindon have all so far revolved around eating! ‘National Chocolate Covered Anything Day’ on 16 December was no exception. All the residents received a letter to remind them how special they are, along with a KitKat! This was followed by the annual Christmas Bingo.

Christmas card-writing

There have been many, many Christmas cards written at our residential care homes in Swindon. Jim is pictured here at Edgehill in a suitably festive jumper writing cards for his family.

Christmas parties

The Edgehill Christmas party went with a swing on 21 December, with lots of tinsel headgear and delicious things to eat. The Edgehill team and the festive music helped everyone have a great time!

Plenty of community spirit at our care homes in Swindon

The local community has shown our care homes in Swindon amazing support during the festive period. Children from the Rascals After-School Club in Wroughton made decorations and cards for Lansdowne Hill residents. The gifts were sent in with ‘love and big smiles during these difficult times’.

On 18 December Mini Concerts performed in the Lansdowne Hill car park, in the rain and wind! The sherry flowed and everyone got into the Christmas spirit.

Dunelm Swindon chose Lansdowne to be part of their ‘Deliver Joy this Christmas’ campaign. Residents’ names were hung on a Christmas tree in-store. Members of the public and Dunelm staff then picked a tag and bought a gift for that resident. Karlie at the Dunelm store collected all the presents and wrapped them ready for delivery. We would like to thank Karlie and the Dunelm team so much for their support.

The team at our Edgehill Care Home in Swindon was delighted to receive Christmas boxes for the residents from the Nationwide Building Society.

Christmas cake decorating

Residents at Edgehill Care Home lovingly created handmade decorations for the home’s Christmas cake. Christmas trees and snowmen, complete with red scarves, gathered on top of the cake.

It’s nearly panto time – oh, yes it is!

Festivities in the run-up to the big day will be rounded off by the Lansdowne Hill staff panto and residents’ Christmas party on 23 December. ‘Snow White and the Three and a Half Dwarves’ is still a work in progress, and improvisation will be key to its success!

The teams and residents at our care and nursing homes in Swindon wish you a Merry Christmas!