Full of Smiles: Hastings Care Residents Treated to an Afternoon Tea Experience at Luxury Spa Hotel
Residents at a Hastings care home were recently treated to an afternoon tea experience at a luxury spa hotel to bolster overall wellbeing — with the trip coinciding with the nationally-celebrated World Smile Day.
Mountside Care Home, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, were delighted to receive a complimentary afternoon tea experience for four of its residents — gifted by the Bannatyne Spa Hotel Hastings.
Firm friends within the care home, residents Gillian (86), Sam (82), Richard (74), and Carolyn (68), recently redeemed the experience on World Smile Day, where they delighted in the delectable treats served up at the hotel’s unique Maxine’s restaurant.
Showcasing the importance of random acts of kindness, staff were delighted by the residents’ response to the trip, noting they were beaming and keen to chat about their end-of-the-week excursion upon their return.
Care home outings are vital to the wellbeing of residents, as they promote a sense of independence and freedom, alongside providing an opportunity to meet and interact with individuals within the community.
Discussing the importance of excursions, Shelagh Hazleton, who has worked as Mountside Care Home’s wellbeing coordinator for almost 9 years, said: “We were delighted to be approached by the Bannatyne Spa Hotel Hastings to arrange a complimentary gift for our residents in celebration of World Smile Day.
“At Mountside Care Home, arranging activities and excursions both inside and outside of the home for the residents to enjoy is an important part of our culture of care. For the past couple of years, this has been difficult for us due to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Now though, we like to take our residents to church weekly, alongside facilitating walks around the local area.”
Shelagh concluded: “We plan lots of events using the facilities we have. We are lucky to have a lovely garden, so we often hold our events outside (weather permitting, of course!) and we are now able to invite friends and relatives, which helps our residents feel like a part of the community and improves their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Speaking of the gifting, Daniella Rollison-Best, Deputy General Manager of the Bannatyne Hotel Spa Hastings, said: “An act of kindness is something anyone can give and will make a difference in all of our lives. Bannatyne Hotel and Spa are delighted to be able to support this within our local community and hope to offer similar initiatives in the future.”
World Smile Day is celebrated every year on the first Friday of October. This year, World Smile Day is taking place on Friday 7th October, with a theme of “do an act of kindness, help one person smile”. The initiative is praised by schools, people, organisations, and associations attempting to improve the world by giving suppers, making recordings, and considering many more fun activities that can make a person smile.
