Beech Hurst celebrates another successful Care Home Open Day

Home news

Apr 30, 2018

It was a day fit for a queen at Beech Hurst when it opened its doors to the community for a special open day event. 

The team at Beech Hurst welcomed the people of Haywards Heath to enjoy Care Home Open Day, a countrywide initiative set up to develop lasting relationships between care homes and local communities, and to dispel common myths about care home life.   

Residents and visitors raised a glass to the Queen on her 92nd birthday with a royal-inspired party, including lawn games such as giant noughts and crosses, inflatable hoopla, and a coconut shy. 

There were a number of competitions on the day, including a canine contest which was judged by resident, Evelyn White, who has fostered more than 100 dogs in her lifetime. Evelyn crowned Lexi, the Husky-cross-Akita, winner of best in show. 

Beech Hurst resident and former cook for the Queen, Ellen Short, judged the home’s ‘Beech Hurst Bake Off’, with Ashdown suite residents walking away as the day’s ‘star bakers’ thanks to their delicious cupcakes and crown biscuit creations. 

Residents and visitors were also treated to a musical performance from local singer, Louise Ratcliffe, which proved a big hit for all. 

Fiona Wiederkehr, home manager at Beech Hurst, said: “We had a fantastic time celebrating this year’s Care Home Open Day with a packed day of events. We were thrilled to be able to involve some of our residents in the judging of our competitions – as a former cook to the Queen and an experienced dog fosterer, both contestants were in good hands! 

“It was brilliant to see so many of our neighbours join us for the occasion, and we hope that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did! We would like to say a big thank you to the people of Haywards Heath for celebrating with us and making the day so special.”