Care home a-maize Basingstoke with scarecrow festival

A local care home had a ‘bale of a time’ hosting its autumnal festival with the help of a special guest.

Care UK’s Dashwood Manor, on Bradley Way, invited members of the community and local groups to get crafty and create scarecrows from scratch for its second annual scarecrow festival. 

 

Scarecrows made to look like Roald Dahl’s Matilda, Joseph and his amazing technicolour dream coat, the Gruffalo, and even King Charles were created by the local community and could be seen in Dashwood Manor’s gardens. 

Residents also created their own entry, Tired Tina which was dressed in pyjamas, dressing gown, and hair net with a teddy in her arms.   

The scarecrows were judged by special guest, the Lord Mayor of Basingstoke, Councillor David Leeks with a trophy given to James Place, a local adult day care centre, which created a King Charles look-a-like, complete with paper mâché head. 

Residents and team members from the home visited James Place to surprise them with their prize and congratulate them on their hard work.  

Peter Williams, a resident at the home, said “I enjoyed seeing passers by stop and admire the creations. The team make up lots of ways for us to have fun, I even got roped into dressing the scarecrow. I’m always willing if it makes someone smile.”

Dil Perera, Home Manager at Dashwood Manor, said: “We all enjoyed getting crafty with our scarecrows and welcoming the local community for Dashwood Manor’s Scarecrow Festival.

 

“Both team members and residents loved seeing the really creative scarecrows from the community and I know the Mayor had a hard time deciding which one should be crowned the winner. However, James Place impressed everyone with their take on King Charles which was ultimately voted as most outstanding in its field.

“Everyone at Dashwood Manor would like to thank those who created a scarecrow or came along to the event. Building on its popularity last year, it was fantastic to see even more of the community involved this year with so many wonderful entries – we can’t wait to continue this tradition for many years to come.” 

Dashwood Manor – which opened in September 2021 – is designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives while also promoting independence. The new care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities with luxury facilities, including a café, hair and beauty salon, cinema, bar and gardens.