Lords and ladies for the day – Church Crookham care home host special afternoon tea

A care home in Church Crookham surprised residents with a very special afternoon tea complete with butlers and maids.

To celebrate the Queen’s birthday, the team at Care UK’s Bourley Grange, on Bourley Road, organised a very special treat for residents – a ‘Downton Abbey’ themed afternoon tea. 

 

The lounge was transformed to resemble the well-known stately home, complete with silver tea pots, candelabras and floral arrangements - and the team dressed as the ‘staff’ to serve residents.  

Even the original posters from the Downton Abbey series were hung in the room, kindly loaned for the day by the Earl and Countess Carnarvon of Highclere Castle where the series was filmed.

The Head of Hospitality at Bourley Grange, Darwin, who has prepared food for the Queen when he worked at The Dorchester London, channelled Mrs Patmore and created food fit for the Lords and Ladies of Bourley Grange. 

The team finished the experience with, true to the period, live music from local cellist Leonie Adams. 

Janie, resident at Bourley Grange, said: “I thought it was wonderful! The effort and attention to detail, the dressing up, the cellist, they didn’t miss a trick. The whole atmosphere was vibrant. They worked so hard to put on something that was as perfect as it could be, and they succeeded!”

 

Racquel Merdegia, General Manager at Bourley Grange, said: “Here at Bourley Grange, we always treat residents like royalty, but to mark the Queen’s birthday we wanted to surprise them with something really special – and with many fans of Downton Abbey at the home, we knew the themed afternoon would go down a treat! 

“I would like to thank the team for all their hard work in making sure this event was a complete success and I would also like to thank the Earl and Countess Carnarvon of Highclere Castle who generously loaned us the posters from the series – it really helped bring the whole room to life.

“We are very much looking forward to planning more events and surprises in the future.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Bourley Grange, which remains open to potential residents, incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The home provides full-time residential, nursing and memory care in addition to respite care. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

To find out more about Bourley Grange, please call Home Admissions Advisor Natasha Peters on 01252 756438, email natasha.peters@careuk.com or visit: careuk/bourley-grange.