NATIONAL Carrot Cake Day has been helping Derbyshire care home residents living with dementia.
Residents at Springbank House Care Home, on Ashgate Road, in Chesterfield, have been recalling their baking skills to mark the national day.
They helped make and decorate buns and cakes before they were served during afternoon tea.
Using their baking skills has proven beneficial for those with dementia, according to home manager Karen Busby.
She said: “We’re always looking for activities where our residents can use familiar skills, especially for those living with dementia.
“Tasks that bring back memories can have a very positive effect on their mood and wellbeing.
“Many of the residents used to bake for their families and friends, so National Carrot Cake Day was an opportunity to get them mixing, whisking and decorating their own cakes and buns.
“Everyone had a great time making and then eating the cakes.”
One of those residents who got involved in the activity was Eileen Ransome, 95.
She said: “I was taught by my mother to cook and, in those days, there were no mixers. You had to mix the butter and eggs with a wooden spoon – adding eggs slowly because it would curdle. 
“Today, they buy cakes or get cake mix in packets – not like in the olden days, where we made them from start to finish.”
Another resident, Freda Botham, 96, said: “My mother made beautiful bread and biscuits but I lost her recipe book.
“I always disliked chocolate cake but I made them for my children, David and Diane.”
Alongside the baking activity, the home’s staff introduced two mascots for the day, Kevin and Katie Carrot.
The pair of cuddly toys kept residents company and rode the serving trolley while the cakes were handed out with afternoon tea.
Home manager Karen added: “The residents thought having Kevin and Katie Carrot in to help was lovely and cute.
“The pair have now retired and we have agreed to put them on display and raffle them to raise money for the residents’ fund”
“The team at Springbank work so hard to give the residents a lovely time and fill the home with cheer and laughter, which is as good as any medicine.”
