Events at Birchwood House
As well as daily activities such as board games and crafts, the residents love the big events we host four times a year at Birchwood House. Our amazing team create these events time and again with passion and flair.
Over the years, we have had magnificent parties in our gardens with a variety of different themes such as a Mexican Fiesta and our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Similar to our activities programmes, our events are often themed at the request of our residents, or else they are planned by staff as a welcome surprise.
“The 1940s Tea Dance afternoon was selected by the residents themselves this year. For many of the residents, this was like turning the clocks back to their early, happiest memories.“
Claire Tye, Deputy Manager
The Great Gatsby
Our Great Gatsby themed summer party was a success for residents, their families and staff who stepped out in their favourite outfits with crafted decadent head pieces to match.
Staff at Birchwood House ensured that every detail of the summer celebration was on theme, with gardens dressed in jewel-toned drapery, art-deco Gatsby banners, balloons, streamers and champagne towers.
Residents and guests shimmied to the jazz-inspired sounds of the Roaring 20s, with live music from Vintage Ruby and entertaining by Adam Smith award-winning Magician and member of the Magic Circle. A wonderful afternoon was had by all.
Enchanted Woodland Event
Our autumn-themed enchanted woodland event was truly mesmerising and magical. Gardens were transformed with stunning scenery to accompany the theme, which included rich, rusty decor and autumnal colours, alongside home-crafted table props created by residents in the run up to the event.
Forest fairies hung from trees, haybales lay scattered across the lawns and sprinkled petals lead the way through to the stunning landscaped gardens of the home. Logs, flowers and birdcages all accompanied in creating the enchanted woodland scenery and truly transported residents into a mystical wonderland.
To add interaction to the event, our team organised for living woodland animals to join, including hedgehogs, bunnies, frogs, snakes and sheep. The animals charmed residents whilst their keeper shared fun, interesting facts on each animal. The event left residents with some very special memories to take away from the day.
Carnival-themed Summer Event
Complete with fun and accessible fairground games, food and live music, Birchwood House was transformed giving residents a chance to enjoy all the fun of the fair. Each resident was handed a ‘ticket of admission’ before accessing the carnival themed event and prizes on offer included ‘fake’ goldfish in bags, harking back to the old carnival days.
Summer is the season for outdoor fun and so all who attended also dined on a carnival-themed ‘banquet’ which included home-cooked burgers, hot dogs and ice creams – all of which were prepared by our in-house chef, Elia (we have an Elia’s Kitchen section dedicated to his wonderful recipes). The banquet table was dressed with jars of sweets and clown noses. A popcorn, candy floss and doughnut stand also helped set the carnival scene.
“Here at Birchwood House, we’re always planning our events to ensure the residents enjoy fun and exciting seasonal activities that allow them to stay active and socialise. We have some extremely competitive residents and staff here, so we all enjoyed putting our skills to the test during the fairground games! It was also a perfect excuse to get our dancing shoes on and dance the afternoon away” – Claire Tye, Deputy Manager.
1940s Tea Dance
Birchwood House turned the clocks back for an afternoon of vintage 1940s fun at the request of its residents. The event was marked by fabulous vintage-styled live entertainment, historically-themed displays, and a nostalgic taste of wartime Britain.
The 1940s-inspired Tea Dance, which took place on the afternoon of 24th March 2022, saw the stunning former manor home transformed with decorations that allowed residents to relive history and included a backdrop of Union Jacks, retro sweets, and propaganda newspapers.
From the music and the films to the fashion in vogue, the 1940s was one of the most memorable decades in history. The staff at Birchwood House, embraced their characters and dressed in ‘dapper’ outfits to fit in with the theme. The nostalgic playlist of live singer ‘Vintage Ruby’ – who provided a touch of 1940s’ glamour and sang top hits from the era – allowed the residents to dance the afternoon away and experience a taste of days gone by.
Mexican Fiesta
Residents and staff recently enjoyed a Mexican-style Fiesta and joined in with the fun with themed party games, food, and drinks.
The beautiful gardens were once again transformed into a colourful and eye-catching backdrop where a live mariachi band set the scene.
Staff members donned sombreros for an afternoon of Mexican-inspired festivities including dancing, a range of games for all to get involved with, a taco race and residents trying their hand at breaking the donkey piñata.
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Birchwood House held a quirky ‘Alice in Wonderland’ themed Mad Hatter’s Tea Party for the residents of the care home, to bring a sense of fun and magic to all at Easter.
The dining room of our care home was transformed into a magical and majestic wonderland. Combining amazing décor with eccentric character costumes, each member of the team at Birchwood House worked hard to produce an experience which mesmerized the residents.
Harvest Hoedown
Birchwood House hosted a socially-distanced Harvest Hoedown in 2021 for all staff and residents. Sealed food was also donated to benefit the local community.
The Hoedown was arranged to give staff and residents a mini-escape from a challenging time, as well as helping the local community and St Mary’s Church with harvest donations.
The harvest celebration took place in the fresh air, with a country and western theme, complete with straw bales, staff in checked shirts and cowboy hats and hats for residents. Country music was the backdrop for a range of games for staff, such as sponge throwing, apple bobbing, country dancing and an obstacle course. Seated activities included a tin can alley game and giant dominos.
Medieval Garden Party
Birchwood House hosted a marvellous medieval garden party and staff fully embraced the event by dressing up in period attire and offering themed entertainment, including a medieval banquet and lute music.
Our care home garden was transformed into a real-life castle, which had been carefully crafted by the staff and their families along with a makeshift ‘Hog Roast’.
But the real treat was surprise guest, Daisy the horse!
Residents were treated to a historic spread of vegetable pottage, pears in red wine and custard tarts. While the residents sipped from goblets and soaked up the sunshine, staff got into the spirit by having rotten cabbages thrown at them in the stocks. Hobby horses, jousting and a court jester were on offer for all to enjoy.
