Hats Off To The Canterbury Care Home Residents Celebrating Royal Ascot Indoors

All bets were off as a Canterbury care home got crafty and made their own hats and fascinators for a Royal Ascot-themed fun day.

Residents at Highfield, based on Bekesbourne Lane, had shared their stories about previous visits to horse and dog racing venues, and with the help of activities co-ordinator Claire Handcock, decided to recreate the annual event.

A main staple of Royal Ascot is, of course, the eye-catching headwear, and not wanting to be left out, the residents spent an afternoon creating fantastic fascinators and terrific top hats.

During the morning, residents played a horse racing game with 50 matchsticks each, and Rita Turner was the outright winner, claiming around 90 percent of everyone else’s matchsticks.

In the afternoon, everyone at Highfield sat down to watch the actual racing from Ascot on television, without making any bets, but picking prospective winners between them.

Claire Handcock, activities co-ordinator at Highfield, said: “At Highfield, our residents are spontaneous and full of life. They like to have fun, play games and get involved with whatever we’re up to. Sadly, none of our residents had been to Royal Ascot before themselves, but they loved our version of it.

“It’s one of our top priorities to make sure our residents are stimulated and feel involved with the local and wider community. During the recent weeks, this has been even more important, given restrictions around visitors or trips out. We’re delighted that everyone had such a brilliant time.”

Rita Turner, 72, said: “I thought it was such a good idea to have an Ascot day at Highfield, and who doesn’t love the beautiful headgear you spot at ladies’ day.

“I didn’t realise I had such a talent for picking winners, but I did very well at the horse racing game. I can’t wait to try my luck at our next bingo game!”