Local community joins Bristol care home for journey into Christmas past

Old festive traditions have come to life at a care home in Bristol, where residents welcomed the community for a day of seasonal activities. 

Ladden View, on Fletcher Road in Yate, joined forces with Ladden Garden Village Community Group to revisit customs from Christmases past with a local village Christmas market.

The 1950s-themed Christmas event featured craft stalls, traditional homemade decorations and live entertainment from Tommy Allen Trio. 

Ladden View resident, Margaret Chapple, said: "I loved looking around the stalls with my family. It was so wonderful to see all the hard work and dedication that had gone into the event, from the organisation to the making of all the brilliant crafts on offer. I used to make all my own clothes, and it was so lovely to see how many people still make their own crafts, rather than buying them from a shop". I can’t wait for Christmas now, it's got me in the festive spirit!”

The event run by Ladden Garden Village Community Group at Ladden View coincided with Care UK’s ‘Step into Christmas’ initiative, which aims to revive residents’ festive traditions by encouraging them to share memories with the local community. 

Sarah Daly, Home Manager at Ladden View, said: “Christmas is such a special time of year, and this event allowed us to honour those memories from residents’ childhoods of a traditional Yuletide. 

“It was a wonderful opportunity to bring the local community together for a day of festive cheer. It was truly heartwarming to watch residents reminisce and share stories from Christmases gone by. 

“We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone for joining us and making the day so joyous for all involved! Your presence brought an extra sparkle to the day.”

Ladden View is a state-of the-art care home providing full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to lead active and fulfilling lives, it has its very own cinema, hair and beauty salon and pub, along with plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.

By blending storytelling, crafts and carol singing, the sessions create a space for meaningful connection. For further information on Step into Christmas, visit careuk.com/Step-into-Christmas.