Westall House welcomed people of all ages to their ‘Rainbow Westival’, a Pride-themed festival filled with colour, music and entertainment.
The house, which is managed by Abbeyfield Living Society and offers residential care, dementia-friendly care and independent living apartments for older people, opened its doors to the public and put on an array of family-friendly entertainment throughout the day.
As well as a family fun day, the event celebrated Pride, and the headline act was drag queen Tuppence A Bag, who enchanted the audience with her unique look and catchy numbers.
Guests were also treated to performances from women’s vocal group Vox, who sang a selection of old and new favourites, and Marco, the singing magician.
“It was a wonderful day and I loved the variety of entertainment, especially the Drag Queen. His voice was amazing and I loved his dress!”
Musician John McDevitt, Weald Ukelele Players and Singers, and a host of other Westall House favourites added to the musical acts that visitors enjoyed over the course of the day, which was capped with a colour run, giving everyone the chance to truly embrace the rainbow.
Another resident, Marjorie, remarked, “It was the best day ever! I danced in the garden and I was so happy.”
104-year old resident Edna added, “I've never been to a festival, so it was lovely having one in my own garden!”
Other attractions included a bouncy castle and a variety of stalls including a tombola, raffle, hook-a-duck, face painting, floral headbands, make your own bracelet, and guess the name of the sloth. The event was blessed with great weather and there was plenty of food and drink on sale, including the essential Pimm’s and lemonade.
Guest, Liz Bell said " I sat in the sunshine with a Pimm's and lemonade watching and listening to amazing, talented entertainers all day. What a unique care home Westall House is, and how lovely for the residents to have an event like this organised for them. They all looked so happy, obviously enjoying the day.”
Furthermore, the house and grounds were splendidly decorated by the Westall House residents, who worked hard to make the event as colourful as possible and incorporated plenty of glitter into their creations!
Lynn Mayfield, the wellbeing and activities organiser at Westall House, who orchestrated the event, said, “It was a fantastic day for all who attended, and it was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the music, food, fun and games. It couldn't have happened without support and help from staff, family, friends and local businesses, who generously donated prizes for the raffle. Heartfelt thanks goes to each and every one of you.”
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