A Magical Mother’s Day For Guysfield Residents And Families
When Mother’s Day came into view on the forward planning calendar, the wellbeing team at Guysfield Residential Care Home began their customary meticulous planning to make sure it would be an event to remember!
Sweet Treats and Mother’s Day Melodies
Invitations were sent to residents’ families well in advance so they could ‘save the day,’ and the catering team researched options for a delicious three-course menu. Meanwhile, Home Manager, Emily, searched out some of her favourite recipes and the night before the big day, baked a selection of cookies, icing messages like “Great Mum” on top, and creating cupcakes in a range of flavours with glittery decorations reading “Happy Mother’s Day.”
The big day arrived, and residents and their families gathered in the lounge to enjoy Emily’s sweet treats and a cuppa, whilst being entertained by talented singer, Grace. With songs covering a range of genres and eras, Grace’s wonderful voice was matched by the positivity and happiness of her personality. Resident Catherine said, “she’s amazing!”- and sang along to the whole performance.
Roses Add a Decorative Flourish to a Fabulous Lunchtime Feast
During the entertainment, wellbeing lead, Zara, was working hard behind the scenes to transform the dining room into a fancy restaurant. Tables were laid out with wine glasses, napkins and rose petals, and each had a unique bouquet of roses created by residents on bed care. It’s so important to the Guysfield team that everyone gets involved in any way they can when it comes to celebrating, and the roses looked beautiful; white, pink, red, and blush they added a special flourish to the decorations.
All the residents and their families sat down to enjoy lunch. It was a cosy seating setup, but it worked out perfectly in the end and it was heartwarming to see residents with the people they love the most. Everyone complimented the team on the dining room. Resident Margaret’s daughters said, ‘it looks amazing!’ and resident Celia’s daughter added, “The gold room was beautiful.” Once everyone was settled, the team went round offering a choice of wine and soft drinks, then in true restaurant style, took food orders with pen and paper and used ‘show plates’ to help residents make a visual assessment when deciding what they’d prefer to eat.
The delicious menu was beautifully presented and included spinach and feta quiche, roast chicken with seasonal veg, Yorkshire puddings and stuffing and lovely light desserts - white chocolate lemon mouse or peaches and cream – to allow room for Emily’s sweet treats, which were an all-day indulgence. Huge compliments were paid to Head Chef, Matt, and all his team for a wonderful Mother’s Day lunch and after the meal, everyone was ready to relax and spend some quality time with their loved ones.
Sharing Messages of Love and Appreciation
The previous day, members of the wellbeing team had asked the residents for quotes based on simple questions: for those who were mums “What’s the best part of being a mum,” and those who hadn’t been mums “What advice would you give to mums” The responses were varied, ranging from “My favourite part was picking my children up from school” to “…. was once they were born, and they looked up at me and knew who I was.” It showed how people valued different aspects of motherhood, and the responses were genuine and very touching. All agreed that they enjoyed every minute of raising their children.
Later in the afternoon while their family members were with them, residents with were matched with their quotes and the team took photos of them. This sparked many conversations between mums and their children about motherhood, childhood and how lucky they felt to have one another - a fitting way to end a thoroughly enjoyable and meaningful Mother’s Day at Guysfield!
Welcome to Guysfield Residential Care Home in Letchworth
You can find us in the beautiful conservation village of Willian, just a mile to the south of Letchworth Garden City, in Hertfordshire. With all the amenities of a modern home, you’ll find first-class facilities with exciting activities, and plenty of places to relax or entertain.
Around our care home in Hertfordshire, there are beautiful gardens to explore. Our residents like to make the most of local amenities also – including the village shop, post office and our local pubs: ‘The Fox’ and ‘The Three Horseshoes’.
