At New Copford Place, our Colchester-based residential care home, the team hosted a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party for the residents to celebrate this year’s Afternoon Tea Week.
“To mark this year’s Afternoon Tea Week, we wanted to give the residents a fun and uplifting afternoon tea party and, as the Cheshire Cat says, ‘It’s always tea time’, so we thought an Alice in Wonderland event would be perfect,” said Chelsey Leather, the Activities Coordinator at New Copford Place.
All the care team jumped down the rabbit hole and took part in the ‘Unbirthday Tea Party’. Daniel Sabau, the Registered Manager at the care home took on the iconic role of The Mad Hatter, Lucy Buckle, New Copford Place’s Deputy Manager became Alice and Carer, Jackie Woodjetts transformed into The White Rabbit.
In keeping with the classic Lewis Carroll story, residents enjoyed an array of delicious afternoon tea treats, complete with ‘Eat Me’ and ‘Drink Me’ homemade delicacies.
“All the residents had a ‘Wonderland’ time,” said Daniel. “Unlike The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in the timeless story, our tea party took place at 3 p.m. and not 6 p.m. The residents had a lovely time, not only enjoying the tasty afternoon tea, but also reminiscing about the Alice in Wonderland story – when they first read the book, saw the cartoon Disney film and some, even the latest Tim Burton cinematic version.”
“The residents always teach us all something new and are so knowledgeable on so many things – and our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party was no exception. One of the residents told us that the tea party was always at 6 p.m. as The Mad Hatter was trapped in a never-ending tea party at 6 p.m. because he’d upset The Queen of Hearts at a celebration,” Chelsey added. “Another resident knew that the term ‘Mad as a Hatter’ dates back to the early 1800s and is a reference to the exposure to chemicals which used to be used in making felt hats which caused tremors – the residents really are our fonts of all knowledge.”
The Alice in Wonderland Tea Party was part of the care home’s wide, inclusive and meaningful activities calendar. “At New Copford Place, we always have our residents’ individual specific needs at the heart of everything we do. To support this we have designed and deliver a wide and varied range of meaningful activities to help motivate, inspire and engage the people we support and care for,” continued Daniel.
“I designed our interactive activities calendar to meet the residents’ bespoke needs,” added Chelsey. “It is built around individual likes and preferences, and includes activities that the residents enjoy and want to participate in. As the residents love a good cup of tea, our Mad Hatter’s Unbirthday Tea party was an ideal way for everyone to mix together, enjoy each other’s company and reminisce, not just about Alice in Wonderland, but about their childhoods, fond memories and experiences.
“The residents enjoyed it so much they are already talking about what theme we should have for next year’s event to mark Afternoon Tea Week. Suggestions so far range from a Hogwart’s Feast to a Mr Tumnus-style afternoon tea of sardines on toast and sugar topped cakes from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to cherry preserves and fruit cake like Anne of Green Gables. I’m sure there will be many more suggestions, so I think we’ll have to have a vote to see what party wins,” concluded Chelsey.
Find out more about New Copford Place care home by calling 01206 210 397 or emailing enquiries@fote.org.uk.