Dance the knight away! Eye care home invites local community to a historic festival to remember

A new festival is coming to Eye – and you won’t believe where it’s taking place.   

On Thursday 29^th June, from 12pam-4pm, Care UK’s Hartismere Place, on Castleton Way, is set to opens its doors to local people for the brand-new Anglo-Saxon inspired festival.

The fun-filled, medieval festival comes as Hartismere Place celebrates Care Home Open Week, a national initiative that encourages care homes to open their doors and showcase what life in a care home is really like. 

The Anglo-Saxon themed event will welcome special visitors from the Sutton Hoo Re-enactment Group, history enthusiasts that host educational activities and recreate life during different historical periods. Members of the group will bring ancient artifacts from the Anglo-Saxon period, including a replica of a Viking helmet worn in the Early Middle Ages.

The historic festival will also see guests dancing along to live entertainment from local singer, Budgie, who will be performing an eclectic mix of songs – sure to get the party started.

Visitors will be treated to Anglo-Saxon themed food, including wild boar sausages, spit roast pork, and a motte and bailey castle cake, specially prepared by the home’s talented head chef.

In the lead up to the festival, residents have been hard at work during arts and crafts sessions creating Hartismere Place’s very own version of the historic Bayeux Tapestry, which illustrates the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and will be proudly displayed on the big day.

Claire Martin, Home Manager at Hartismere Place, said: “We’re thrilled to be inviting the Eye community to join us as we step back in time to the Early Middle Ages and host our very own Anglo-Saxon themed festival.

“Care Home Open Week offers the perfect opportunity to get together with loved ones, show just what life is like at Hartismere Place, and enjoy a summer celebration – and we wanted to do something a little different, and decided to invite everyone to our Anglo-Saxon festival. 

“Many residents at Hartismere Place are history buffs, and we hope this festival will help everyone that attends to learn more about this period in our history while having some fun! We hope the Eye community come with their history questions at the ready for what is set to be a very memorable event.”

To find out more about Care UK’s Festival Season celebrations, please visit: careuk.com/festival-season

To find out more about Hartismere Place and book your place at the event, please contact Senior Customer Relations Manager, Angela Hodge, on 01379 888276 or email angela.hodge@careuk.com 

Hartismere Place has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, residential dementia, as well as short term respite care, with a day club also set to open in the coming months.