Care Home Residents Savour Taste Of Paris Café Culture For Parkinson’s UK
Residents from five New Forest care homes joined families and friends for a French-themed afternoon tea that raised hundreds of pounds for charity Parkinson’s UK.
Boldre War Memorial Hall was transformed into a Parisian-style restaurant as the parties from Colten Care and other community organisations sampled homemade patisserie delights.
More than 100 guests listened and danced along to traditional French songs played live on accordion, guitar and double bass by French-costumed New Milton group Café Mondial.
Advance tickets, on-the-door entry and donations helped the event raise £700 for the New Forest Branch of Parkinson’s UK.
One resident of Linden House, Colten Care’s dedicated dementia care home in Lymington, Liz, said:
“We had smiles on our faces all afternoon, clapping and dancing. We absolutely loved it. It was wonderful from start to finish.”
Residents from fellow Lymington homes Court Lodge and Belmore Lodge, plus Kingfishers in New Milton and Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, also enjoyed the occasion.
Community guests included members of a French language group in Lymington, set up in relation to the town’s official twinning partnership with Vitré in Brittany.
Peter Doyle, Colten Care Operations Manager, who later presented a cheque with the proceeds to a meeting of the Parkinson’s UK branch, said:
“It was an absolute pleasure to help put on such a happy, successful occasion for our residents, the Parkinson’s group members and the local community.
“It was great to chat to people who had a good time enjoying the chance to relax, meet friends and listen to very talented musicians at what was an amazing event.”
Martin Hall-Patch, Chairman of the Parkinson’s UK New Forest Branch, said:
“The atmosphere in the room was amazing, with a strong buzz of conversation throughout and this, coupled with the music of Café Mondial, demonstrated that a good time was being had by everyone present.
“It was a truly memorable occasion and an excellent afternoon’s entertainment. This was only made possible by the ceaselessly professional yet personal way the Colten team carried out their duties and the hard work that went into making it all happen so well.
“Everyone I spoke to said they enjoyed the afternoon and it was clear from their faces that the Colten residents felt the same.”