Catherine House Care Home in Frome, Somerset, welcomed members of the local community into the home’s outdoor space for a cosy Halloween Fair and to collect a free pumpkin!
The fair had stalls selling hot drinks, cakes, snacks and homemade treats. Among the items on sale were homemade pickled onions, which family members (residents), had prepared earlier alongside team members and the home’s kitchen team.
The pumpkin display also included pumpkins that family members had carved themselves in the days leading up to Halloween, giving visitors a chance to see their creations.
Some of the largest pumpkins had an unexpected beginning in Activities Coordinator Sharon’s daughter’s garden. After putting last year’s Halloween pumpkins into her compost, her daughter discovered that the discarded seeds had taken root. By this autumn, they had grown into enormous pumpkins, which became part of this year’s display!
Throughout the event, local families stopped by to choose their pumpkins, with children particularly excited to take one home and plenty of ideas for how they would carve them.
Home Administrator Kim Viner shared some of the comments received from visitors:
“One lady who came along with her children said it was exciting and lovely to see a care home giving away pumpkins for Halloween. Another lady commented on the generosity of Catherine House and wanted to make a donation.”
For team member Tina, one particular conversation stood out. A young girl had already decided exactly how she would decorate her pumpkin, explaining that its green patches would help her create the scariest face, even better than those her brother and sister would make.
Tina was impressed by her imagination and said she couldn’t get over how excited the children were to receive their pumpkins for free.
While the pumpkins were given away free of charge, donations and proceeds from the stalls were intended to support the home’s activities fund, helping towards future outings and opportunities for family members to continue doing the things they enjoy.
For Catherine House, the event was another opportunity to welcome neighbours into the home and share something with the wider Frome community.
To find out more about activities and events at Catherine House Care Home, please visit
https://catherinehousecarehome.com/activities-in-care-frome-care-home/