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One Last Hurrah! Longfield Care Home Rounds Off Staycation Adventure with Trip to Ireland

Residents and staff at a Longfield care home have concluded their three-month camping staycation adventure around the UK with a trip to the Emerald Isle.

Setting up their tents one last time, residents at Nellsar’s The Old Downs Residential Care Centre, in Kent, recently took part in Irish-themed activities and enjoyed traditional decorations, music, cuisine and quizzes from the comfort of their armchairs.

Embracing the best of Gaelic culture, staff and residents at the Castle Hill home explored the beautiful sights of Belfast, with trips to the Titanic Quarter and Giant’s Causeway, before venturing down to the Republic of Ireland to visit Dublin and share a pint of Guinness with a few mischievous leprechauns.

Vira Green, Recreation and Well-Being Champion at The Old Downs, said: “With decorated backdrops of the Emerald Isle and jaunty Celtic music playing throughout the home, our residents had the perfect round off to their staycation adventure. We fully embraced the last hurrah of the trip with some traditional Irish fun, which had to include, of course, a few tipples of Guinness, Baileys Irish Cream and a dram or two of whiskey!”

Dubbed ‘Carry on Camping’, the virtual staycation aims to improve residents’ mental and physical health by enabling them to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of different countries and cultures, while also allowing them to reminisce about previous family holidays.

79-year-old resident, John Hamilton, said: “It reminded me of my younger days when we went camping, we cooked on a camping stove, just easy stuff like boiled eggs. I liked the Guinness we had and the Irish music.”

Viv Stead, Recreation and Well-Being Manager at Nellsar, said: “Residents and staff at The Old Downs and our other 12 care homes throughout Kent, Surrey and Essex enjoyed a perfect finale to our Carry on Camping adventure. It’s no secret that the past 20 months have been extremely difficult, so we made it our mission to ensure that 2021 was rounded off in style. The best part about the virtual trip to Ireland was the fact that we had lots of residents of Irish descent, who were delighted to share their stories about past visits.”

 

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