Care homes in Dorset and Hampshire have done their bit to promote friendship, peace and unity among people of different cultures.
Residents and staff at five Colten Care homes in Poole, Ferndown, Sherborne and the New Forest staged a series of International Friendship Day-themed garden parties, several with a charity focus.
At The Aldbury, a dedicated dementia care home in Poole, residents had fun making Friendship Day bunting and painting flags of different countries which they used to decorate their garden summerhouse.
They also made and wore colourful tie-dye T-shirts bearing messages such as ‘Love & Friendship’, ‘Harmony’ and ‘Together’.
Residents and guests sang along as visiting entertainer Kelly Lorraine performed songs on the message of friendship while a raffle raised more than £100 for The Aldbury’s main charity for this year, Prama Life.
Resident Valerie Sharp said: “It was a great party, very well thought-out and very friendly.”
On minibus trips to Sandbanks and Poole Park from their Poole home Bourne View, four residents – Wendy Barnes, Margaret Taylor, Mary Cadby and Christine Lorimar – handed out Friendship Day postcards and posies of flowers as free gifts to members of the public.
Postcards were also exchanged between Bourne View staff and residents. Some recipients gathered in the dining room to read the messages out to each other, prompting much discussion about friendship.
There was similar fun at Colten Care’s Amberwood House in Ferndown where residents and staff sang songs from different countries, wore national dress and sampled an international array of foods including German sausages, French cheeses and Welsh cakes.
Meanwhile, residents and staff at Abbey View in Sherborne held a celebratory ‘friendship breakfast’.
Guests included Karen Howell from Canine Concern and her dog Bramble, both of whom are weekly visitors.
As a surprise, Karen was presented with a portrait of Bramble created at Abbey View and a poem, written by resident Jen Newcombe.
Karen said: “The portrait and poem are beautiful gifts and I was very touched. We love coming to Abbey View.”
Abbey View’s hairdresser Penny Flint sat with a former neighbour, Alec Savidge, to catch up on all the Bradford Abbas village gossip.
Penny said: “It was great to have the opportunity to really chat with the residents without the noise of the hair dryers!”
Also at the Abbey View party was Yvonne Bright from regular visiting toddler group, Truth Be Told.
Yvonne said: “I miss the residents during the school holidays when we have a break, so I was so pleased to be able to come along.”
At Colten Care’s Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, New Forest, residents took it in turns to recite poems about friendship.
They also listened to short stories and reminisced about friendships that had shaped their lives, some lasting decades and others formed in the most unexpected moments.
Companionship Team member Jo Anderson said: “It was a reminder that friendship, old or new, is one of life’s greatest gifts.”
The International Day of Friendship, held this year on 30 July, was launched as an annual celebration by the United Nations in 2011.
Its guiding message is that ‘friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities’.
