At our Malvern Day Care service, which supports people who are living with dementia and a range of age-related conditions, clients have had an ‘un-bridle-ed’ fun time celebrating this year’s Ascot Races.
“To celebrate this year’s Royal Ascot, we wanted to do something special for the clients to enjoy,” said Shirley Bradley, Head of Day Care Services. “One of our clients, Gwen Farrer, used to be a Milliner and has created many beautiful hats for ladies to wear to the world famous Ladies Day at the racecourse. So, we thought it would be a wonderful idea to ask Gwen and her Husband, Warwick, if it would be possible to bring some of the hats Gwen had designed and fashioned into the day care centre to show everyone and to be part of the Ascot celebrations. They both agreed which was ‘hat-tastic’.”
Gwen, who has been a client at Malvern Day Care since October 2024, was a Senior Officer at a London Council before meeting Warwick, getting married and raising their family. As an avid Crafter, Gwen joined a quilting and hat group and the rest is ‘hat-story’.
“All of Gwen’s fantastic hats were unique and individual,” said Warwick. “Gwen always ensured that each hat she designed and produced was a one-off and personal to the lady she was making it for, so no two were ever the same.”
Gwen, who regularly made stunning, individualised hats for ladies who were attending Ascot’s Ladies Day, also won quite a few competitions for her artistic and eye-catching headwear.
“Gwen was her own inspiration for her hat concepts,” continued Warwick. “To begin her artistic process, Gwen would measure each lady for the yet to be designed hat, and look at the shape of each face, which she insisted was key to the design process as it ensured what she would be proposing to make, would suit each lady perfectly.”
Gwen had a good client base with many returning customers and had a unique ability to turn Wedding Hats into Ascot attire. “Gwen always said that fascinators were so much easier to make, as they were – and still are – just like Alice Bands with feathers and bows,” added Warwick.
As part of Malvern Day Care’s Ascot celebrations, Gwen and Warwick brought a selection of Gwen’s ‘cap-tivating’ creations along for the other female clients to try on. “Gwen’s hats were gorgeous,” continued Shirley. “The clients and day care team had a wonderful time trying them all on and holding an impromptu fashion show.”
“To make the Ascot Day complete, we hosted some Ascot quizzes and the clients also reminisced about their own experiences of going the races, having a flutter, and even horse riding themselves,” added Linda Gilks, the Deputy Manager of Malvern Day Care. “Reminiscing, sharing thoughts, feelings and experiences is a great activity for clients to participate in, as it not only preserves their own memories, but helps to reduce stress, promotes physical health and improves communication skills.”
“The meaningful and engaging activities we host at Malvern Day Care are all tailored to our clients’ likes, preferences, hobbies and favourite pastimes and have many benefits for the clients,” added Shirley. “The benefits range from improved physical health, creating and building social connections and relationships to boosting moods, reducing anxiety, promoting a sense of well-being and creating an added sense of community within the Day Care Centre.”
“I always learn something new from the clients,” continued Linda. “When we were reminiscing about horse racing and Royal Ascot, a client told me that it was originally Queen Anne who first saw the potential for a racecourse at Ascot – three centuries ago – and that’s why today, the Queen Anne Stakes, is the first race of the Royal Ascot meeting.”
“We had the Ascot Races on the television whilst everyone enjoyed a delicious and quintessential Afternoon Tea, with the ladies all still adorned in Gwen’s exquisite and delightful hats,” added Shirley. “They all had wonderful Ascot ‘hat-itude’ and looked ‘hat-mazing’. It was a wonderful day which everyone at the Day Care Centre thoroughly enjoyed.
“When Gwen brought the hats in to show everyone, you could see the pride in her face and the enjoyment she got from being able to show off her work. It really was worth celebrating and just reiterates to us that everyone has such interesting lives and stories to tell in spite of living with dementia,” concluded Shirley.
Find out more about our Malvern Day Care service by calling 01684 218 281 or emailing enquiries@fote.org.uk.