Hammersmith care home wins national award

A care home in Hammersmith, London is celebrating after winning a prestigious award.

Care UK’s St Vincent’s House, on Queen Caroline Street, won big at the National Activity Awards 2025, hosted by the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA), and scooped the ‘Activity Team of the Year’ award. 

The award aims to celebrate and recognise organisations that show a commitment and passion for embedding arts-based activities into their work, demonstrating the difference they can make to people’s lives. 

Judges praised the lifestyle team at St Vincent’s House for transforming the lives of residents through their innovative and engaging activities that are inspired by the residents’ wishes. The team prides itself on really getting to know the residents, and that starts at the admissions stage when the team meet new residents and their families. During the process, they take the time to learn a resident's preferences, hobbies and life experiences. 

The information gathered by the team is used to fill a resident’s life book, which is then used to inform activity plans. One relative of a resident commented on this approach, saying: “The staff are amazing. Lots of activities are offered, and residents are treated with dignity and respect.”

The lifestyle team has been able to establish a wide range of popular clubs and groups at St Vincent’s House, from yoga, gardening, and flower arranging to board games and Spanish lessons, which were all suggested by the residents. 

The team also arrange activities that boost residents' confidence and self-esteem, including a ‘Glam Day’ where residents are pampered with manicures and have the opportunity to get their make-up done.

The home also has a Wishing Tree initiative, which enables residents to put forward their wishes to revisit old hobbies or try something completely new. Whether it’s a fish and chip supper, a skydive or watching a football match, no wish is too big or too small.  For example, one resident is a big Simon Cowell fan, and so the St Vincent’s House team created a Britain’s Got Talent competition for them that the whole home took part in. 

The team has made strong connections with the local community, with residents taking the lead on who they want to connect with through the resident forum. They are able to nominate a charity to work with, and the most recent organisation that they worked with was a homeless charity called The Upper Rooms Homelessness Charity. The home recently raised funds for the HoneyPot Charity, which provides support to children who are young carers to sick and disabled parents or siblings. 

The home has also partnered with the TimeGivers Charity, who help children access enriching volunteering opportunities in their community, helping to build intergenerational connections between the residents and young people, which are hugely beneficial. St Vincent’s House also opens its doors to support the community around them with a monthly dementia café event and cinema screening. 

Kerry Reyes, Home Manager at St Vincent’s House, said: “We are thrilled to have won the ‘Activity Team of the Year’ award at the National Activity Awards 2025.  

“Here at St Vincent’s House, we work incredibly hard to deliver the best care and help residents lead the most fulfilling lives. We take pride in how hard we work to get to know and truly understand resident and their likes and dislikes. 

“I am incredibly proud of the team for their passion and dedication for delivering a range of incredible activities and would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you. The work you do is greatly appreciated by me, the residents and their relatives. Well done everyone!” 

St Vincent’s House is designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, with luxury facilities including a café, hair and beauty salon, cinema, and gardens. The highly experienced team provide full-time dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care.