HC-One’s Millcroft Care Home in Redditch, Worcestershire, 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 home's main celebration event took place during Care Home Open Weekend from Friday, June 20 to Sunday, June 22. Millcroft 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.
Millcroft Care Home kicked off its Care Home Open Week with a truly wild experience on Friday, June 20, as ‘The Animal Man’, Steffan, brought an extraordinary menagerie to delight residents, their families, and colleagues.
The visit featured an array of fascinating creatures, including cockroaches, a leopard gecko, a bearded dragon, a snake, an owl, and even a charming skunk named Toffee. Steffan captivated everyone with detailed stories about each animal, offering residents and their families the chance to get up close, hold the creatures, and learn about their unique traits.
The event was a resounding success, with the owl and leopard gecko stealing the show as crowd favourites. Brave hands reached out, and smiles lit up the room as attendees marvelled at the animals.
Lyndsay Sard, HC-One’s Millcroft Care Home Manager, said:
“It was a wonderful, educational experience for all. Everyone was so open to having a go at holding and seeing the animals up close. Seeing their faces light up was wonderful.”
Sophie Childs, HC-One’s Millcroft Care Home Lifestyle Manager, said:
"We love having The Animal Man come into the home. It’s such a great time for all that attend, and the residents talk about it for weeks after!"