Royal Patron to New Reading Care Home
Charity, Friends of the Elderly Honoured to Welcome Its Royal Patron to Its New Reading Care Home Charity, Friends of the Elderly, was honoured to welcome its Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, to officially open its new state-of-the-art residential care home in Calcot, Reading – Friends Place. The Princess Royal was received by Rachel Hill, Friends of the Elderly’s Chief Executive and Mark Wilson, the charity’s Chief Operation Officer who escorted Her Royal Highness on a tour of the care home. During her visit, The Princess Royal met with residents and care staff. She toured the home’s new facilities, including the cinema room, beauty salon, garden room, and sky bar, all of which residents are already enjoying. “It was an honour to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to Friends Place and to showcase our new state-of-the-art care home and the exceptional dedication of our care team,” said Rachel Hill, the charity’s Chief Executive. “2025 marks Friends of the Elderly’s 120th Anniversary which is a very important milestone for us and to have the official opening of Friends Place by HRH The Princess Royal, the charity’s patron was so greatly appreciated by all of us at Friends of the Elderly.” Offering residential, dementia, and respite care, Friends Place and is also home to a day care service, with all care delivered by a compassionate and experienced care team. The new care home reflects the charity’s long-standing commitment to providing high-quality care and the home has been thoughtfully designed to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere where residents feel valued, secure and supported. Her Royal Highness takes up the important role as the charity’s Royal Patron which her Mother, Queen Elizabeth II held for over 60 years. As the Friends of the Elderly’s Royal Patron for many years, Her late Majesty’s support was extremely important to the many older people the charity has cared for throughout the years. The continued support of The Royal Family, through the ongoing Presidency of Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra and the new Patronage of The Princess Royal is greatly appreciated by Friends of the Elderly, its residents, beneficiaries and staff. “We take great pride in supporting the older people we care for in an environment where every individual feels valued, safe and engaged,” added Mark Wilson, Friends of the Elderly’s Chief Operating Officer. “We’re proud to offer a warm, modern home where every detail has been designed with residents’ wellbeing in mind. Friends Place not only brings high-quality care but will also bring 30 new jobs to the local area – and we’re thrilled to be part of the Calcot community.” “With over 120 years of experience, Friends of the Elderly is proud to continue its mission of providing personalised, compassionate care that supports older people to live full and dignified lives in a warm, homely environment where residents feel safe, supported and part of the community,” continued Rachel. “We are excited about the future and look forward to working with Her Royal Highness on our many important projects and initiatives that support older people.”www.fote.org.uk
World Sight Day: Blind Veterans UK praise for Surbiton care home
A care home has been praised for the care and support it is providing a blind RAF veteran on World Sight Day. Staff at Royal Star & Garter’s Surbiton Home invited Blind Veterans UK to give them support and advice after former RAF policeman Jeremy Sellwood became a resident. According to Jed, as he is known, and his family, it has helped him to settle in and enjoy life at the Home. The praise for Royal Star & Garter comes on World Sight Day, 9 October, and during World Blindness Awareness Month, which is running throughout October. Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care and support for veterans and their families, living with disability or dementia, through its Homes in Solihull, Surbiton, High Wycombe and Worthing. It also provides services reaching into the community, including Lunch Clubs, Day Care and a national Telephone Friendship Service. Blind Veterans UK supports anyone who has served in the Armed Forces and is now living with significant sight loss. Jed lost his sight after sustaining a serious head injury in 1987, aged 25. It happened while he was based at JHQ (Joint Headquarters) Rheindahlen in West Germany, and he was off-duty at the time. With the support of Blind Veterans UK, he was able to live independently for more than 20 years. However, a series of falls resulted in Jed, now 63, coming to Royal Star & Garter in 2024. It was after moving in that the Home’s dedicated Wellbeing Team reached out to the sight loss charity. Wellbeing Coordinator Lesley O’Driscoll said: “The team haven’t had to support someone who is totally blind and we wanted advice and to know what we can do to help his wellbeing.” Blind Veterans UK provided a box of activities and advised on the set-up of Jed’s room. A case worker also meets Jed each month and Lesley added: “We’ve definitely been able to improve the support and wellbeing we provide Jed since contacting Blind Veterans UK.” Jed said: “I think it’s excellent that Royal Star & Garter got in contact with Blind Veterans UK. It’s refreshing to see two organisations working together this way. Staff here always go the extra mile for every single resident.” Jed’s sister Kim said: “Blind Veterans UK has been supporting Jed for a long time, so I was thrilled when Royal Star & Garter reached out to them to help with the support they can provide him.” Mark Wheeler, from Blind Veterans UK said: “We are proud to have been supporting Jed for many years. It was fantastic to work with Royal Star & Garter to share our expertise and support them to provide the best care possible. It’s great to see two veterans’ charities working together for Jed’s benefit and we’re grateful that staff at the Home reached out to us. It’s good to know that Jed is now receiving such wonderful care and that he is happy.” Speaking about Royal Star & Garter, Jed added: “This place feels like home, it’s absolutely fantastic. Everybody’s friendly and helpful, and I feel lucky to be here.” Royal Star & Garter in Surbiton is also welcoming new residents. For more information on this, its other services or to work at the Home, go to: www.starandgarter.org/surbiton
NCF’s Leadership Summit invites not-for-profit care
The National Care Forum (NCF) – the leading association for not-for-profit social care, together with headline sponsors, Marr Procurement, are pleased to welcome senior leaders from across its diverse membership to join them for the Leadership Summit on Tuesday 14th October at Convene on Bishopsgate in London. The event will have a strong focus on creating a clear pathway for care and support providers towards care for the future that meets the needs of the sector around staff efficiencies and cost savings. The event agenda brings together an illustrious range of speakers from across government, academia, technology providers, social care providers and international experts. Speakers include Amy Carmichael, Head of Digital Strategy, Innovation and Skills Adult Social Care Tech and Emma Donnelly, Strategy Lead for Adult Social Care Tech Policy at the Department of Health and Social Care. Also speaking at the Summit are Liz Ashall-Payne, Founder of The Organisation for the Review of Health and Care Apps (ORCHA), Dr Annemarie Naylor, Director of HealthTech and Innovation Growth at the University of Liverpool Civic Health Innovation Labs and Katie Thorn, Digital Project Lead at Digital Care Hub. Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of NCF commented: “Together with the NCF team I’m looking forward to getting together with our not-for-profit care and support provider members to visualise the digital future of care and support. We have spent many years building partnerships with technology suppliers and developing international connections to help us understand how the digital agenda is transforming care across the globe. These connections are essential in understanding what future opportunities for care and support might look like for us here in the UK. We have included many of these insights into the programme for the Leadership Summit which will help our members visualise their organisation’s digital transformation, or to expand on the digital plans they may have already started. “We’re delighted to have so many expert speakers joining us and are particularly excited to be welcoming Liz Ashall-Payne, founder of ORCHA. Liz will deliver an exciting session where she will share practical strategies for building confidence in digital and AI solutions and help providers explore how transparent evaluation, ethical data use, and clear communication create a chain of trust that drives adoption, improves outcomes, and unlocks the full potential of technology.” Christoph Marr, Managing Director of Marr Procurement said: “We are proud to be headline sponsors for the National Care Forum’s Leadership Summit. This follows an extremely rewarding 10 year relationship with NCF. NCF’s Annual Conference is well attended by a large number of care and support sector decision makers and this year’s event is vital as providers visualise the digital future of care and support. Given the significant cost pressures facing care providers, we will be sharing practical ways to reduce operating costs without compromising on care or quality.”
‘Paw-some’ Day – Every Day – with pooch Jazz
Residents at Friends of the Elderly’s Woking Care Home Have a ‘Paw-some’ Day – Every Day – with pooch Jazz At Bernard Sunley, the Woking-based residential, nursing and dementia care home run by charity Friends of the Elderly, which is celebrating its 120th Anniversary this year, the residents have had a ‘Paw-fect’ time celebrating this year’s World Animal Day with the care home’s very own pooch, Jazz. “The annual World Animal Day takes place on 4th October to align with the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology and animals,” said Andy Cumper, the Registered Manager at Bernard Sunley and Jazz’s ‘Human’. “As Jazz is the official furry four-legged member of the care home team and a ‘paw-manent’ member of the Bernard Sunley family, we wanted to share some of her daily activities which bring so much joy to the residents.” Jazz, a 7-year-old Miniature Labradoodle, has been a regular face – and paws – at Bernard Sunley since she was a puppy – once she’d had all her vaccinations of course. “The residents absolutely ‘a-paw’ Jazz,” said Monika Ahmend, the care home’s Activities Coordinator. “She even has her very own spot on the activities calendar.” Jazz takes her role very seriously and never makes a ‘faux-paw’. She has a visiting rota and makes sure she sees all the residents in their rooms and is known to often take her self off for additional visits at every ‘opp-pawtunity’. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets a few crafty doggie biscuit treats on her visits either,” added Monika. Once her visiting rounds are over, it’s straight into the lounge for her daily games session with the other residents. “Jazz is very good at ‘Fetch’,” continued Andy. “The residents thoroughly enjoy see Jazz show off her fetch and return skills, and she loves being the centre of attention. Not only does she keep the residents entertained which you can tell she adores, but she also gets plenty of cuddles too, which she’s extremely fond of.” Jazz certainly is very popular with all the residents and makes sure she gives everyone her undivided time so nobody is left without their daily Jazz dose of happiness. “I love seeing Jazz,” said resident Eric Walker. “She reminds me of my own dog.” Another resident, Kenneth Inwood added: “Jazz is my Best Friend, she brightens my day with her daily visits. I used to have a German Shepherd called Sprout, so having our very own care home dog is wonderful, as it brings back so many happy memories.” Vivian Best, who has been a resident at Bernard Sunley since November 2022is particularly close to Jazz. “Vivian used to live in Scotland and had pet German Shepherds. Once he’s seen Jazz, he’ll often talk about his own dogs and how much they meant to him,” continued Andy. Bernard Sunley hosts a wide variety of special events throughout the year and Jazz is always at the centre of the action. “Jazz loves to get involved with as many events and special occasions as possible,” added Monika. “She really gets into the party spirit and especially loves showing off her celebratory outfits at Halloween, Christmas and all the Saints Days.” “When we have a resident’s birthday, Jazz will always make sure she gives the Birthday Girl or Boy extra attention, helps the care team sing Happy Birthday and is always there when the birthday cake is cut. She’s a real character, full of love and happiness, her tail never stops wagging,” continued Andy. Jazz was born on 18th June which makes her a Gemini dog who are known for being curious, very sociable and intelligent. “Jazz’s star sign is so true. She’s super smart and enjoys meeting new people and always wins them over with her charm,” added Monika. “For the residents, interacting with pets, especially dogs, is a such positive and happy activity. Playing and engaging with Jazz can help to reduce stress and lower blood pressure and we see what a great reminiscing pastime it is for the residents as well. Marking World Pet Day and having Jazz make such a positive impact to the residents’ days – every day – is wonderful to witness and be part of,” concluded Andy. www.fote.org.uk
Care Chef of the Year 2025
Ilona Tomza of Porthaven Care Homes of has been crowned National Association of Care Catering (NACC) Care Chef of the Year 2025. Ilona was crowned in front of NACC members and guests at the NACC Training & Development Forum held at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham. Caitlin Goodall of AbleCare Home and Dawn Louise Brown of Greenholme Care Home, Avery Healthcare took second and third places, respectively. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the final was held at the Loughborough College. The ninety-minute heat focused on the importance of food, nutrition and positive mealtime experiences as part of quality care, entrants are challenged to create an appealing and delicious two-course menu (main and dessert) appropriate for people in a care setting. The combined food cost for both courses could be no more than £4.50 per head based on three portions and it had to be nutritionally balanced. The menu also had to feature at least one product from Unilever Food Solutions’ sector- relevant catering range. The judges were looking for clear nutritional understanding of the foods being used and how they support the needs of their clientele, plus culinary flair through flavours, menu balance, execution, presentation, and hygiene and waste management best practice. Ilona’s dishes of Balsamic vinegar and muscovado coq au vin for main and a Whiskey and orange creme Brule with almond puff pastry fingers and semi-frozen orange segments for dessert impressed the judges. Head judge, Steve Munkley said: “It was a fought competition with some amazing cooking served up by all the chefs in such a variety of dishes.” Ilona was also awarded Highly Commended Main, whilst Runner Up, Caitlin Goodall of AbleCare Homes received the Highly Commended Dessert for her Orange syrup semolina sponge with creme fraiche dish. The importance of good hygiene practices was also recognised, with Clare Broadbent of Devonshire House, Harbour Healthcare being awarded the Health& Award. The Sustainability and Waste Management Award went to Jack Wood of Colten Care. Neel Radia the NACC’s National Chair, said: “I am constantly amazed by the incredible standards our chefs achieve in this prestigious competition. I have immense respect for these individuals – not only for stepping up under the intense pressure of having judges looking over their shoulders, but also for their determination to return year after year in pursuit of the ultimate accolade in care catering: the title of Care Chef of the Year. “This tells me just how much this title truly means. “I would like to join Steve Munkley in thanking all the judges who gave their time and expertise so generously. “Raising the profile of care chefs is something we all value deeply, as it helps bring new talent into our sector. From speaking with many of these chefs, I know that once they understand the true impact they can make in others’ lives, they often stay with us for many years.” The full list of finalists included: For more information on the NACC Care Chef of the Year 2025 competition visit www.thenacc.co.uk
Care Home Launching Blue Light Brunch Club
Friends of the Elderly’s Calcot Residential Care Home Launching Blue Light Brunch Club for All Blue Light Card Holders At Friends Place, the new state-of-the-art residential care home run by charity Friends of the Elderly, in Calcot, Reading, the care team is getting ready to launch its Blue Light Brunch Clubs to support and say thank you to all the Reading and Calcot Blue Light Card Holders for the unwavering commitment and devotion they give, selflessly, to the local community. “By hosting the Friends Place Blue Light Brunch Clubs, it is just a small gesture to reinforce our support and show our appreciation and thanks to all members of the Reading and Calcot services for the hard work, assistance and dedication they give to the local community – every day,” said Alina Gutu, the General Manager of the care home. The first Brunch Club is launching on Friday 17th October and, taking place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., the Blue Light Card Holder guests can choose from a scrumptious brunch menu to either eat-in or take away. “The Friends Place Blue Light Brunch Clubs are open to all Blue Light Card Holders – emergency workers, Paramedics, members of the Police Force, Firefighters, NHS employees and volunteers, Community District Nurses, Social Care Workers, Key Workers, Community Health Workers, Blood Bike Drivers as well as Teachers, Community First Responders, Doctors, members of The Armed Forces – anyone who holds a Blue Light Card,” added Elisha Hall-Jones , the Activities Coordinator at Friends Place. “The Blue Light Brunch Clubs are a way for all of us at Friends Place to demonstrate, in some small way, just how grateful and, of course, thankful we are to all Blue Light Card Holders. We feel it is very important to They are a small gesture, but we want to acknowledge the essential roles our Blue Light Card Holders play, every day,” added Alina. All guests should be in uniform or have evidence they work for the NHS or emergency services – or produce their Blue Light Card. “All our local Blue Light Card Holders are Reading and Calcot’s Community Heroes. The work they do to support our community, every day, 24/7 is exceptional and remarkable,” concluded Alina. www.fote.org.uk
‘Brave soles’ take on charity firewalk
A Firewalk Challenge has helped raise over £3,800 for a veterans’ care home in Worthing, with the total expected to rise. Participants braved a walk across 600°C coals to raise funds for the care and wellbeing of residents at Care for Veterans – a Royal Star & Garter Home, at Worthing Rugby Club on 20 September. The Home provides long-term nursing, rehabilitation, respite and end-of-life care to veterans and their families who live with disabilities, including acquired brain injury and degenerative neurological conditions. Among the ‘brave soles’ who took part was Care for Veterans Home Manager Vicky Strange, who raised £1,400. She said: “It was amazing to see so many people step out of their comfort zones to support our veterans. The courage they showed raised money which will help us continue giving our residents the care and recognition they deserve. I’ve never done anything like this before but I wanted to give something back to our veteran community, and as the Home Manager, to lead by example for any future events and to get more people involved. I want to thank everyone – from firewalkers to volunteers and all those that supported us on the night of the firewalk – for making it such a memorable, fun and worthwhile event.” In total, 15 people walked across the red-hot embers for Care for Veterans, helping raise £3,853, with more donations still coming in and expected to push the total over £4,000. Care for Veterans is now part of the Royal Star & Garter group, following a merger with the charity earlier this year. The Home is welcoming new residents. For more information on this and other ways to fundraise and support, please go to www.careforveterans.org.uk
Spicing Things Up with a Evening of Trivia and Delicious Curry
At New Copford Place, the Colchester-based residential care home run by charity Friends of the Elderly, which is celebrating its 120th Anniversary this year, the care team is getting ready to spice things up with a community Curry and Quiz Night. “The residents thoroughly enjoy our regular quizzes and different community-orientated events – and like nothing more than tucking into one of our Chef’s ‘Dal-icious’ curries, so we thought we’d bring three of their favourite things together in a fun-filled community evening,” said Daniel Sabau, the Registered Manager at New Copford Place. On Saturday 11th October 2025, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the care home will host an entertaining community evening, full of tasty trivia and curry. “You could call it ‘Korma’,” continued Chelsey Leather, New Copford Place’s Activity Coordinator. “Along with the residents and care team, we are inviting relatives, friends and members of our local community to come along and team up to test their knowledge in a light-hearted and amusing quiz and, of course, enjoy a selection of scrumptious curries, hand-made by our care home Chef.” Quizzes are a regular activity on New Copford Place’s meaningful and inclusive activities calendar as they not only stimulate cognitive functions, enhance memory and recall, but boost overall well-being and mood. “The residents really look forward to and enjoy our regular quizzes, which cover a range of topics,” added Chelsey. “By taking part, they provide a sense of accomplishment, are great for social interaction, starting conversations, laughing together, discussing possible answers and promoting memory recall. All our meaningful activities are designed to meet the residents individual needs and incorporate their likes, preferences and favourite pastimes, and quizzes are definitely one of their favourites.” “Quizzes act as a great brain exercise as they stimulate cognitive functions,” added Daniel. “The range of different quiz subjects and questions can act as positive triggers, bringing up memories and sparking conversations, especially for older people who are living with dementia.” Curries can also be good for older people due to the Curcumin, a member of the Ginger family, which is in Turmeric, as it offers antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. “The anti-inflammatory spices in curries can improve heart health by boosting blood flow and may help regulate blood glucose and lipids,” continued Chelsey. “Spicy curries can cause digestive issues, so we are opting for less spicy versions at our Curry and Quiz Night. “To make sure the spice levels are perfect, not too hot, fiery or spicy, our Chef will serve a Chicken Curry and a Vegetable Curry which will be accompanied by rice and tasty sides of Naan Bread, Onion Bhajis and Samosas – and, of course, Mango Chutney.” Teams at New Copford Place’s Community Curry and Quiz Night can be up to six people and the entry fee is only £5 per person, which includes the fantastic curry and accompaniments – and all drinks. To book your place at this ‘Rogan Joshing’ night, please email Chelsey at chelsey.leather@fote.org.uk or call the care home on 01206 210397. “We’d love for as many people to join the residents and care team for the evening. It’s the perfect opportunity to come together as a community, share laughs, make memories and enjoy something special together,” concluded Daniel. www.fote.org.uk
Care home embraces Veteran Friendly Framework
The manager of a care home has explained how she became “hooked” on the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) after overcoming her initial reservations. The VFF helps homes in England provide tailored support and care to veterans and their partners. Kirsty Allen, Home Manager at Cotman House Care Home in Felixstowe, felt she might struggle to free up the time to take on the VFF, but discovered working on the free-to-access project had a calming effect, explaining: “I became so involved in the process, and now find that if I’m having a challenging day because of other things, I just step away for a time and do VFF work, which I really thrive on.” She is now recommending the VFF to other care homes, and encouraging their participation, saying she wished Cotman House had completed it earlier. Cotman House is part of the Caring Homes group, and currently has 27 veterans and partners of veterans in its care. The group has 18 care homes in England and has pledged to put all of them through the VFF process. Kirsty said: “I was hesitant about committing to the VFF project when I first heard about it. My days are already jam-packed and I thought it might be super-stressful. But the first thing we had to do was identify veterans, and that set off a spark, I was hooked! We were speaking to residents, emailing family members, and discovering their stories, seeing their old photos and learning so much about them. That started conversations with our residents and it was really beautiful.” Chantal Sencier, a VFF Champion at Cotman House said: “I think there were probably five or six residents here that we didn’t know were veterans until we’d spoken to their families. And there were some residents who we knew were veterans but we didn’t know what they had done. We found out one resident drove a tank. We’d known he was in the military but we didn’t realise he was a tank driver!” Kirsty said: “I think the VFF has given us so much more understanding, especially with residents living with dementia, to go into their world a bit more. We had a Navy veteran who was living with dementia and believed that because he could see the sea from the home that we were on his ship. His behaviour could be quite challenging and he could become quite distressed. I think if we’d known what we know now from our VFF journey we would have been able to support and understand him much more. We weren’t as knowledgeable or aware as we might have been. But we are now.” Cotman House was able to complete the VFF process in weeks. Kirsty said it complemented the work they were already doing, and Chantal added: “It was a pretty straightforward process, thanks partly to our VFF Project Officer. We just can’t sing her praises enough. She kept us motivated and was very positive.” Chantal continued: “Kirsty has become quite the ambassador for other Caring Homes signing up to the VFF. She’s a great advocate because she can be honest and tell home managers about the doubts she had at the beginning, and how they were quickly dispelled.” Any care homes interested in receiving more information about the VFF can visit https://veteranfriendlyframework.org.uk, email VFF@starandgarter.org or call 07425 326070.
