Giggles, good cheer and going out and about with gifts – residents and staff at Colten Care homes chose a host of positive, heartfelt ways to have fun on World Smile Day.
In line with the aim of the annual celebration – to perform simple acts of kindness to spread goodwill and make others happy – there were both individual acts and initiatives by entire home teams.
At Fernhill, a dementia care home in Longham near Bournemouth, the grins and laughter centred around a fancy dress parade, a photobooth, pizza making and pulling funny faces.
Resident Kiki Tormey said: “It was a day full of fun that brought my friends and I all together.”
At Bourne View in Poole, residents provided answers to a question posed by staff: ‘what makes you smile?’.
In response, Irene Whyment wrote on a whiteboard: ‘Physical activities and getting my hair done.’
At Wellington Grange in Chichester, residents made flower bouquets, each accompanied by a small, handwritten wish tag with a positive, uplifting message.
Complementing the floral gifts, home chefs baked a batch of freshly made cookies to be shared too.
Team members Lana Harmon and Julie Dunwoodie then took the bouquets and cookies out to key locations throughout Chichester including the library, art galleries and cafés, distributing the gifts to unsuspecting members of the public.
“The reaction was priceless,” said Lana. “Some people were so surprised they didn’t know what to say, while others were visibly touched. It really made their day.”
Julie said: “It was a simple act, but it showed how powerful kindness can be. We were proud to represent our residents and share their messages of joy.”
Residents and staff at Colten Care’s Woodpeckers home in Brockenhurst tried out 19 different smiles for themselves, took a host of selfies and enjoyed an exercise class to music.
June Farrow and Edna Brien were among those laughing with Companionship Team Leader Jane Bunker who was dressed in a monkey outfit.
The feel-good factor at Abbotts Barton in Winchester included corny jokes aplenty and a visual quiz that involved identifying which famous face was smiling. Subjects included Doris Day, Winston Churchill and Bruce Forsyth.
Smile Day was invented by the late American commercial artist Harvey Ball, creator of the original and iconic smiley face graphic in 1963.
The annual occasion is organised and promoted by the World Smile Foundation, a non-profit charitable trust Harvey founded in 1999 to support children’s causes.
