Guysfield Residents Celebrate Valentine’s Day In Style With A Full Scale Production!
Valentine’s Day at Guysfield Residential Care Home was more than just cards and cake – it was an opportunity to celebrate the love and friendship within the home in style.
Forward Planning for the Big Day
With special arrangements to make, everyone came together weeks in advance to plan a spectacular day, starting with a ‘black tie' theme. The catering team liaised with residents to create a ‘Love Lunch’ menu which offered plenty of variety for everyone, and arts and crafts sessions were used to make a range of creatures with a Valentine’s spin - nicknamed ‘love bugs’ - ranging from dinosaurs to chickens and butterflies. Residents also put time and effort into creating beautiful bespoke Valentine’s Cards for their loved ones.
The ’Love Lunch’ Exceeds Expectations
When the big day arrived, the team spent the morning decorating the home using Valentine’s colours and designs – shimmering red streamers with hearts, rose petals and confetti balloons, flowers and heart shaped candles. As the venue for the ‘Love Lunch,’ the dining room was given a special makeover; tables were carefully laid with chocolate hearts, banners were displayed on each wall, and balloons and paper hearts were strung up.
Guysfield's team and residents dressed up, incorporating the colours pink and red into their outfits to complement the black tie theme. Lunch was served – a glorious menu including sweet potato and pepper soup, herb-crusted salmon or three cheese risotto, a heart-shaped brownie with raspberry sauce and cream for dessert, and a choice of red, white or rose wine to mark the occasion. Compliments flowed, with praise heaped on the team for the quality of the food, the presentation, and everyone involved in the preparation.
Fun, Games and Love Songs Complete the Perfect Day
The team handed out photo prop glasses with phrases such as ‘love’ and ‘kisses’ on the top for residents to pose with during lunch, and there was more fun afterwards with a series of games. ‘Balloon tennis’ – keeping a balloon off the floor using hands, feet, or even heads –was especially popular. One resident said it reminded her of when she used to enjoy playing volleyball and badminton, although this version probably generated more giggling and laughter than the actual sport!
For a final flourish, a special visitor arrived – drag entertainer Hartley – who enchanted the residents with a selection of love songs. Resident John said, “I haven’t heard talent like that in a long time” and everyone commented on Hartley’s amazing voice and likeable personality, immediately wanting to know when he’d be visiting next.
Hartley’s performance rounded off the Valentine’s afternoon perfectly, bringing everyone together to party, sing and dance with their families and loved ones. The hand-made Valentines cards had been handed out with pride and looked wonderful – a real sense of achievement all round and a truly memorable Valentine’s Day for everyone at Guysfield.
Discover Guysfield Residential Care Home in Letchworth
Guysfield Residential Home is a Victorian building situated within extensive south-facing gardens, surrounded by beautiful countryside. The home has a warm welcoming family atmosphere and offers the highest standards of residential and dementia care on a permanent and short stay basis.
If you would like to learn more about the types of care and services available from Caring Homes, please visit our website page. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or would like to learn more.
