Up and down the country, care homes are getting ready to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a jam-packed events calendar.

Residents at Edinburgh’s Crammond Residence will be treated to a themed party with family, friends and members of the community invited to a grand garden celebration. The event will see a DJ and singer take to the stage throughout the afternoon, with an abundance of food and drink stalls, themed cocktails, home-baked delicacies and weather permitting, a garden picnic. In the lead up to the main event, residents have been making Union Jack handheld flags and will enjoy a Jubilee themed quiz coordinated by the home’s dedicated lifestyle co-ordinators. Residents will also be invited to help decorate the home with banners and bunting ahead of the event.

Residents at Royal Star & Garter have reflected on Her Majesty The Queen’s 70-year reign and sent her their best wishes, ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. In a video published by Royal Star & Garter, veterans sent goodwill messages and praised The Queen, who is also the charity’s Patron. Sue, who lives at the Solihull Home with her husband Harry, a WWII Navy vet, congratulated The Queen and said: “We have also been married for 70 years, so we know what 70 years is!”

In anticipation of the Jubilee, Bluebird Care South Gloucestershire recently celebrated the big occasion with a typically British afternoon tea party. The party, which took place on the 17th at Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church, brought team members, customers, family, and friends together. The Jubilee party was a huge success, with several team members donning themed outfits for the occasion, including director of Bluebird Care South Gloucestershire, Jack Whitfield, who wore a Footman’s outfit accompanying one of the Bluebird Care coordinators dressed as Her Majesty, with cake, tea, and sandwich distribution.

Two Jewish sisters from Manchester have commemorated their British Empire Medals (BEMs) alongside members of the royal family at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party, hosted on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen. Gisela Feldman, 98, and Sonja Sternberg, 96, travelled to the capital from their home at Belong Morris Feinmann care village in Didsbury to enjoy an afternoon of tea and cake and the opportunity to explore the palace gardens. Joining them and the other guests invited in recognition of their achievements and service to the country were Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Kate Middleton, and Princess Alexandra, the Queen’s first cousin. The siblings have dedicated their lives to Holocaust education, sharing their personal experiences, the plight of modern refugees, and keeping alive the memory of those lost so that future generations all over the world continue learning about WWII. Gisela summarises: “We are the last generation of eyewitnesses – people cannot deny what we experienced. It is said that bad things only happen if good people do nothing, and this is what drives us to educate others to do better.”

Inspired by the Great British Menu and the Queens Platinum Jubilee, Loveday hosted their very own Great Platinum Jubilee Menu in honour of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, with Oliver Peyton joining the judging panel. Each Loveday chef developed their dish including a starter, fish course, main and dessert and some of the dishes were based on the Queen’s original coronation menu including an asparagus starter, Dover sole and strawberry dessert. Oliver Peyton OBE, restauranteur and previous judge on the Great British menu, Loveday’s Chairman Laurence Geller CBE who originally trained as a chef, together with Loveday’s Group Executive Chef Matthew Dodge joined forces to judge the dishes. The winning dishes will be served to Members at Loveday Residences on 5 June at the celebratory lunches, where family and friends will join their loved ones to dine on this regal feast. The winning menu is Lilibet’s Asparagus Crown, Delices de Soles Elizabeth and Jubilee Beef Wellington followed by Royal Strawberries & Queen.

Residents from Astune Rise care home in Eston, near Middlesbrough, have taken part in ‘Together in Music’, a project curated by Orchestras Live and Redcar and Cleveland Council to create a piece of music in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Working with Manchester Camerata, a charity which believes in the power of music therapy, ‘A Woman of Our Time’ has been composed by residents of Astune Rise care home and three other homes from the area and will be played for the first time during a concert on June 1 at Redcar’s Tuned In youth centre featuring the Manchester Camarata Orchestra and singers from Guisborough Choral Society. Members of Camerata in the Community visited the home with a selection of musical instruments and worked with a group of residents to create the composition, which celebrates the Queen’s 70-year reign.

New Care enlisted the help of ‘The Queen’, Isla Bates aged 3, to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee with care home residents across its portfolio of homes in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Nottingham, UK. At each of its 10 care homes, the royal engagement has comprised a red carpet arrival for Isla to the national anthem followed by the planting of a tree to leave a ‘green’ lasting legacy for residents at each of the care facilities. The tree plant is part of The Queen’s Green Canopy; an initiative designed to enhance the environment and create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the nation, with the ultimate aim of benefiting future generations. Isla’s mother, Alex Fairhurst, who works for New Care, comments: “Isla has thoroughly enjoyed her mini royal tour, travelling around each of the New Care homes to plant a tree. She has especially loved dressing up as The Queen, perfecting her royal wave and making our residents smile. It is a real privilege for Isla to be involved in the Platinum Jubilee and by planting the tree she is playing her part in improving the environment and leaving a lasting legacy at each one of our care homes across the UK.”

Runwood Homes Group’s Rose House is eagerly preparing for the Jubilee celebrations next week, decorating the home, organising events and preparing for a long weekend of fun and themed activities. The team have made a brilliant Union Jack window display made from every resident, staff member and relatives’ hands cut out. The project was a great inclusive activity, and one that everybody connected to Rose House could get involved in. In addition to the display, Rose House residents have also been making crowns for their celebrations and the team is currently running its Jubilee raffle. The display echoes Runwood Homes’ value to become a welcoming, friendly space for all in the community. 

The Queen has been busy checking up on preparations for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Aldringham Court in Suffolk and lending a listening ear to residents at the home. The home, in the village of Aldringham, is taking part in a whole weekend of events with the local community and hosting the village with a fun day event on June 3. The guest of honour, a life-sized cut out of Her Majesty, has already made her way to the home and is busy causing a stir.

Preparations are underway for a host of fun at care homes across the South with residents keen to celebrate the Queen’s historic Platinum Jubilee. The bunting will be out and the flags will be flying during ‘street parties’ at all 21 Colten Care homes in the county over the specially extended Bank Holiday weekend in June. In the run-up, residents and staff have been busy making decorations, knitting royalty-themed tea cosies, rehearsing songs to perform and planning games. At The Aldbury in Poole, resident Joyce Holden has taken on the challenge of colouring in 70 Union Jacks to mark the 70 years of the Queen’s reign. 

Former royal pilot Michael Harrington, who lives at Castle View in Poundbury, Dorset, flew members of the royal family, including the Queen, hundreds of times on trips during his years of service. He said: “She was always immaculate and smooth. She knew exactly how to deal with people. She was very kind.” 

Abbey View resident, Eve Walsh Waring worked as a personal assistant at Buckingham Palace after she retired from government service and Susie Chiesman, now living at Newstone House in Sturminster Newton worked at Buckingham Palace in years gone by.

At Kingfishers in New Milton, residents are making ribbon wreaths in red, white and blue to add a dash of patriotic colour to the Outstanding-rated home and a further wreath, made with pom-poms, will be in Jubilee purple, synonymous with royalty. As well as their garden parties, Colten Care residents are invited to gather for the planting of commemorative Jubilee trees at each home. As part of the Queen’s Green Canopy national tree-planting initiative, each tree will be accompanied by a plaque made by military veterans supported through the Royal British Legion’s charity activities.   

Resident at High Wycombe Home of Royal Star & Garter John Walmsley was one of four Grenadier Guards inside Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953 for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. He says he was one of the last people that she passed as a Princess, and one of the first she walked by as Queen. He said Her Majesty would later refer to them as “my four Grenadiers”, and that he is the last surviving member of that quartet. 

Residents and family members of The Close care home were encouraged to polish up their pearls and show off their sartorial style to honour of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a traditional street-party style event with an extraordinary modern twist.

Held amongst its landscaped gardens, guests at the event were treated to a lavish lunch with a coronation-conscious feast featuring familiar flavours, the Queen’s tea-time favourites and British classics.

Though, going one step further and taking the theme of ‘Queen’ to the next level, the highlight of today’s celebrations was the unique entertainment experience provided by glamorous drag queen, Vanity Von Glow. Stepping away from the Soho scene for one day only, Glow entertained with humour and a carefully curated line-up of well-known, sing-along songs and favourites from across the eras – transporting residents through a musical journey to reignite fond memories and good-time giggles.

How are you and your residents celebrating the Jubilee weekend? Let us know – tweet @Caring_Times or send us a comment on www.facebook.com/caringtimes