Hats Off To Our Easter Bonnet Competition Winners!
Each year, residents and team members in the Caring Homes group celebrate the arrival of spring with a creative flourish and a dash of Easter-inspired fun!
Craft Tables Covered with Easter-Inspired Accessories
The annual Easter Bonnet Competition is an opportunity for everyone to bring fresh ideas to the craft table and this year was no exception, with both activities teams and residents in their element. Once the brief for the competition was received, a flurry of activity followed. Deciding on designs, themes, colour schemes, and whether tiny eggs, fluffy chickens, flowers or a combination of everything worked best, were areas for daily discussion in the run-up to the final creations.
Creativity Unleashed as Fabulous Bonnets Emerge
As entries rolled in, it became clear that the bar had been well and truly raised! There were tall hats, short hats, top hats, jaunty hats, designer hats, downright clever hats – even a hat inspired by the original Easter parade in New York – and the competition also unearthed some stylish models!
Operations Director, Julie Mason had the unenviable job of selecting three winners and it proved too hard to separate first and second place, resulting in a tie for first.
And The Winners Are ….
Joint 1st place:
The Orchard: a giant hat crafted from cardboard, meticulously decorated with a huge assortment of creatures, flowers and eggs, creating a riot of Easter colour.
The Orchard’s giant hat was created after a little bit of banter when the activities team asked residents what ideas they had for the bonnet competition, and the response was “How about we make a huge hat that you could fit in!” Never keen to shirk a challenge, the team enlisted the help of ‘superman’ Steve (who looks after maintenance at The Orchard), and the gigantic hat was born. The decorations were the result of an impressive team effort by a group of ‘crafty’ residents.
Horsell Lodge: a fabulously inventive Wonka-inspired hat made from pure chocolate and modelled with real attitude by resident Ann.
When Kelly from the activities team asked for ideas, nobody was keen on the ‘traditional’ bonnet – then someone recalled an edible hat and resident Celia declared it should be chocolate. Those who thought it couldn’t be done were proved wrong when a combined taskforce of residents, the wellbeing team, chef Armand and receptionist Tanya found a way and rest is history! Worn for photos by resident Ann, always a good sport, the hat will be smashed and eaten by the residents on Easter Day!
Also highly rated for their creativity and originality:
2nd place - Cotman House: a striking, playful bonnet which some might think bears a passing resemblance to a much loved cartoon character!
3rd place - Homefield Grange: a chic, stylish butterfly bonnet which encapsulates the joy of springtime
Julie concluded: “We’re so impressed by the inspired contributions to the Easter bonnet competition, and it was more difficult than ever to choose the winners. After a lot of thought, the winners were selected because they were imaginative, fun and colourfully captured the essence of Easter. Congratulations to all!”
The Easter Bonnet competition is a lovely way to bring everyone together and the bonnets are often the result of a group effort, which gives a lot of enjoyment to the residents. Although the Easter craft kits have been put away for another year, the bonnets work as fabulous decorations for the homes as residents embrace everything that Easter represents –a splash of colour, an excuse to indulge in sweet treats, the arrival of spring in all its glory, and a time of reflection and joy.
If you would like to hear more about the care and nursing home activities going on at Caring Homes, you can find all our news and events by browsing our website’s news article section. To find your nearest care home and arrange a visit, take a look at our Find a Care Home tool on our homepage. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or would like to learn more!
