October fun at Mellish House

This last month sure has been a busy one at Mellish House. Our residents baked up some autumn-themed treats, such as jam tarts, with a sweet cinnamon twist to give them that autumnal feel. Topped off with edible autumn leaves, these were a huge hit with all the residents, it was great to hear comments like “mmm these are yummy, I think you’ll have to make these again” and “yes they are tasty, I think I’ll have some more!” We also made pumpkin pies, a first for many of us making and eating them – it’s never too late to try something new.

We wanted to keep the tradition of pumpkin decorating this year, so our residents got involved with some pumpkin flower arranging, something a little different to pumpkin carving. The residents worked hard scooping out the insides and arranging artificial flowers and cuttings from the garden inside the pumpkins. These were displayed around the home so residents can admire their hard work and feel a sense of achievement for their autumn decorations.

A local nursery kindly gifted our residents and staff with some lovely artwork and photos of the children who made them. This was a thoughtful way to spread love and kindness and were well received by the residents. A few residents have asked to frame some of the paintings to be mounted in their rooms and are eagerly awaiting the day they can welcome the children for a visit. Some thank you artwork is in the making, to send back to the nursery.

The run up to Halloween was packed full of fun. Residents took advantage of our Halloween themed food trolley visit and decorated their own biscuits, before tucking in. We set up a Halloween ‘coven’ decorated from top to bottom. We played some spooky music and played games such as ‘Witch Hat Ring Toss’ ‘Ghostly Skittles’ and ‘Hunt the Skull’ where residents had to find a mini skull hidden in a bowl of colourful spaghetti. The day was rounded up with lots of party food and a Halloween Buffet. Day 2 we had live entertainment, lots of fancy dress, dancing and even more party food, thanks to another Halloween buffet. Everyone was very tired afterwards, but all the fun was worth it.