Abbeyfield homes and local communities gathered together over a historic four-day bank holiday weekend to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.
Residents and staff were joined by friends and family to deck out the red, white and blue in our homes across the UK and beyond. Preparations for Jubilee, however, had been in motion well in advance as the Abbeyfield Family went the extra mile to create a scene fit for a Queen.
Abbeyfield Castle Farm in Newcastle marked the start of the celebrations by with a royal purple makeover, painting othe outdoor areas and seats in 'Jubilee Purple' surrounded by purple planters.
Purple planters with purple dianthus and cineraria flowers, painted and planted by Castle Farm's gardener, whilst residents decorated pebbles to use as part of our celebration.
Preparations didn't stop there as Abbeyfield got creative with the platinum planters competition. Jim Gillespie House stole the show with a team effort to make their own queen and guard plant pots, painted by Doreen, Eileen, Jill E, Ann H, Chris and Joan.
"Residents couldn’t picture how the pots were going to look once put together, when finished I showed the residents and one lady started to cry as she was so amazed at what she and everyone had created."
Lisa Birnie, Activities Co-ordinator
No Jubilee party would be complete without the food, so it's only right that Abbeyfield went all out with some cracking spreads over the bank holiday weekend. Royal-themed bakes were the star attraction at many Abbeyfield homes, adorned with Union Jacks and crowns, they were almost too nice to eat...almost. Resident Keynsham cook, Sue Evans, will sadly be retiring after 33 years at Abbeyfield, but not before she created a Jubilee Trifle masterpiece which wouldn't look out of place on The Great British Bake Off!
Celebrations kicked off in unusually warm weather, with friends, family and some familiar faces gathering for a series of spectacular events across the country. Her Majesty the Queen is the first British monarch to ever mark a Platinum Jubilee, but hers is not the only achievement we will be celebrating. The Jubilee weekend also took place ahead of Abbeyfield Week and Volunteers Week,making it the perfect moment to recognise the volunteers that are the backbone of Abbeyfield. From a special Jubilee edition of Tea & Memories, featured on BBC North West, to a High Tea party at Girton Green, memories were made and captured over a historic weekend and we hope every member of the Abbeyfield Family enjoyed their royal celebrations as much as we did!