Christmas comes to Suffolk Lodge!

On Friday December 20, staff from the Wokingham branch of Waitrose and a film crew of six visited Suffolk Lodge Care Home to help out with the residents’ Christmas lunch, and film the afternoon’s events! Waitrose staff helped serve drinks and food, allowing Optalis support staff to sit and assist more than 30 residents with their lunches.

Local cabaret singer Lynne Turner kicked off proceedings during the early afternoon, singing a medley of Christmas ditties and songs from the 1920s! A son of one of the residents - Barrie Stapleton - appeared as Father Christmas and handed out gifts.

Activities coordinator Rebecca Craker said: “It created a real buzz, having a film crew at Suffolk Lodge, and residents had a lovely time enjoying all the festivities and entertainment. Waitrose made the day extra special by being there of course, and helped us have an extra special day with their staffs’ help, and their kind donation of £750 to the home. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Waitrose for all their help.”

This year, all Waitrose branches are supporting a Christmas lunch event for older people, and/or homeless and vulnerable people in their community – people who would otherwise be on their own at Christmas. The campaign means that around 500 events across the country are being supported by them; with nearly 40,000 people in total set to benefit.

Caroline Parkin, personnel manager from Waitrose (Wokingham) said: “We all felt so thrilled to be invited to help with the Christmas Party at Suffolk Lodge. The residents loved being served by us and also enjoyed talking to us about how busy we must be in the shop at the moment. It’s great that we could come and not only help, but also enjoy the afternoon!