All the fun of the fair as Erith care home opens its doors to local community

Residents at a care home in Erith had a trip down memory lane as the care home hosted a funfair-themed fete.

The fete (September 7) was organised by the team at Heathfield Court Care Home, located on Colyers Lane in Erith, and attended by residents’ families and friends, plus the wider community.

With the support of members of the care and lifestyle team, residents ran popular funfair games, including splat-the-rat, hook-a-duck, and a coconut shy.

Heathfield Court provides residential, nursing and specialist dementia care.

Resident Iris Sealey, aged 89, helped to run the splat-a-rat stall, she said: “My grandchildren came and loved playing the games and winning some prizes, their favourite was hook-a-duck.

“I remember my own children playing it when they were small, so it was a joy to see the grandkids having fun and playing those same simple games.

“I loved listening to the music and watching the clown, the food was delicious too, it’s a long time since I tasted candy floss!”

Nikita Waterman, lifestyle manager at Heathfield Court, said: “Iris and a few of our other residents were keen to get involved on the day. It gave them a lot of joy taking responsibility for running the stalls and was a real boost to their self-esteem.

“Many of our residents are living with dementia and getting involved in familiar funfair games helped to trigger fond memories from their past of visiting fairgrounds with their parents, or as adults taking their own children.

“Funfairs are a very sensory experience, which also helps to spark memories – the music and sounds of people chatting and laughing, the smell of the sweet candy floss and cakes, colourful costumes and children having their faces painted – it was lovely to hear our residents chatting about the day over supper and the next day.”

Marjorie Seaman attends Heathfield Court three times a week for day care. The 102-year-old attended the fete with her daughter and granddaughter, and the three enjoyed having a go at the coconut shy.

She said: “Oh we had so much fun, I loved seeing all the children having fun and getting their faces painted. I’m so glad the sun came out for the day.”

Lifestyle manager Nikita added: “We all had a wonderful day and managed to raise almost £600 for our chosen charity, AA Dog Rescue.”

Heathfield Court is rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and was a Regional Finalist for the Putting People First Award in the Great British Care Awards 2023.