Staff had expected around 60 people for the barbecue, but ended
up feeding nearly 100 appreciative residents and visitors.
The restaurant was packed as people descended on the Village to
enjoy freshly-cooked food, including a home-made banoffee pie baked
by one of the residents, salad, and barbecued chicken, burgers and
sausages.
After the meal, there were games and competitions in the garden,
including hook a duck, a tombola and a wind-up snail race.
Volunteer and resident Rex Blatchly, who is eager to help out at
any of the Village's activities, took some time away to catch a
duck from the paddling pool. "It's not as easy as it looks," he
warned, adding that he has loved his time living at the Village.
"I've been here since the beginning, nearly a year now - I'm
practically part of the furniture. It's great here."
Eileen Fry, who lives in the Village with her husband Michael,
said that she was having a great time. "It's lovely, and the
weather's been so good too," she added.
Residents invited families to join them, and many of them got
into the spirit of things, with grandchildren taking part in games
and other relatives even running stalls. Alison Porter, whose
parents are both residents, spent the day selling cards. "I was
only planning to do it for an hour, but there was such a big demand
that I carried on," she said.
Village Activities Facilitator Scott Reed-King, who organised
the day, said he was delighted with how well the event - the first
of its kind at the Village - had gone.
"This is the first time we've done a big event in the daytime -
we usually do them in the evening," he said. "It was something a
bit new, but it's gone really well so I'm really pleased."
Pictures (clockwise from top):
Volunteer and resident Rex Blatchly takes some time out to hook
a duck.
Residents Joan Delve (left) and Joan Meers (right) try their
hands at milking a cow.
Village Activities Facilitator Scott Reed-King and resident
Derek Phelps test their strength.
Rex Blatchly, Scott Reed-King and Alison Porter, a visitor whose
parents are both residents, try to catch ducks in the paddling
pool.
Michael and Eileen Fry, who both live in the Village, get
violent with some toy frogs.
See pictures on Flickr.
For further information, please contact:
Lucy Henson, PR officer
07970 951 208
lucy.henson@extracare.org.uk