Winchester Care Home Fete Raises £1,300 For Community Centre Charity

A Winchester dementia care home staged a summer fete in aid of a nearby community charity chosen by its residents.

Colten Care’s St Catherines View in Stanmore Lane raised more than £1,300 for charity of the year the Carroll Centre.

The family-friendly fete was held at St Peters Catholic Primary School, a short walk from both the home and the community centre.

It featured stalls, a cream tea, children’s games, ice cream van and animals brought along by Mill Cottage Farm.

The collection included alpacas, sheep, goats, guinea pigs, tortoises, rabbits and ducks.

Among more than 140 attendees was St Catherines View resident Helen Billett, who won a smartwatch in a raffle of donated prizes.

Helen said: “It was wonderful to go along, see the children have fun, meet the animals and play a few of the games. A great job. It reminded me of going to fetes when I was younger.”

Joining Helen and fellow guests were both the Mayor of Winchester Councillor Sudhakar Achwal and Deputy Mayor Councillor Jamie Scott.

In his speech, the Mayor thanked St Catherines View for putting on the fete, stressed the important of community events generally and said he was thrilled the Carroll Centre would be benefitting from the funds raised on the day.

Home Manager Vanda Baker, one of a team of colleagues who helped clear and tidy up a green space outside Poppins Nursery, part of the Centre, in the spring, said: “It is always our residents who decide the causes we support.

“We then enable them to do their bit by getting involved in fundraising activities and events they will enjoy that also keep them engaged with the local community. The fete is a prime example.”