HC-One’s Colton Lodges Care Home in Colton, near Leeds, West Yorkshire, welcomed visitors and guests from their local community to participate in this year’s Care Home Open Week celebrations from Monday, June 16 until Sunday June 22, 2025.
The homes main celebration events took place during Care Home Open Weekend on Friday, June 20, 2025. Colton Lodges Care Home welcomed residents, colleagues, friends, family and the wider community to ‘The Big Summer Weekender’ event.
Care Home Open Week is a national event hosted by Championing Social Care, designed to connect care homes with their local communities. The week offers care homes the opportunity to showcase their range of services, provide tours of their facilities, and highlight the activities that are offered to residents.
The event is also a reminder to the homes’ neighbours that they are there if they need support. Throughout the week, residents, colleagues, families, and friends enjoyed a variety of fun-filled activities culminating in an end-of-week celebration at the home.
The event also sought to connect the homes with their neighbours, highlighting the communal support that the home can provide. HC-One’s chosen theme for this year’s Care Home Open Week was ‘The Big Summer Weekender’ emulating the nostalgic feel of British summer holidays with a variety of fun-filled activities culminating in an end-of-week celebration at the home.
Colton Lodges Care Home transformed into a tropical paradise after hosting an unforgettable Aloha Party that brought the spirit of Hawaii to residents and guests. The event was a highlight of the week, filled with music, dancing, and tropical delights that left everyone smiling.
The care home was adorned with glowing decorations, setting the perfect scene for a Hawaiian-themed celebration. Colton Lodges residents wore colourful flower leis and sipped on refreshing tropical cocktails, mocktails, and ice lollies.
The sounds of Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii and The Beach Boys’ Surfing USA filled the air, sparking an infectious energy that had everyone moving.
Charlotte Brown, HC-One’s Colton Lodges Wellbeing Coordinator, said:
“It was wonderful to see so many smiles and laughter, residents dancing and even toe-tapping and clapping. The joy with that little bit of magic brought into their day made all the hard work worth it.”
Danielle Longthorn, HC-One’s Colton Lodges Care Home Manager, commented:
“We were absolutely overenjoyed to welcome members of our local community to Colton Lodges for this year’s Care Home Open Week. It was an excellent opportunity to highlight the compassionate, person-centred care we provide every day.
“The event also gave us a chance to unite with families, friends, and neighbours, and to celebrate the amazing individuals who live and work here.”
Betty McHugh, HC-One’s Colton Lodges resident, added:
“The decorations were excellent, and my Pina Colada was lovely!”
Fellow resident Jean North, a music and dance enthusiast, added:
“I love dancing and music, and this is right up my street.”
Pauline Parkinson summed up the atmosphere, saying:
“I feel like we are really in Hawaii.”
Colton Lodges Care Home continues to support their local community by hosting ‘No one eats alone’ events which forms part of a campaign the home is running to offer support to members of their local community. The ‘No one eats alone’ events Colton Lodges Care Home hosts welcome in members of the local community, who are 65 years of age and over, into the home to have lunch with residents on the first Thursday of every month, from 12pm - 2pm.
For more information about Colton Lodges or HC-One care homes in your area, visit www.hc-one.co.uk/carehomes.