A Halloween festival, pumpkin carving competition and gravestone prop making were just three of the spooktacular activities enjoyed by residents at a Wisbech care home.

Wisbech Standard: The team at Orchard House, a residential dementia and nursing home in Money Bank, Wisbech planned several Halloween arts and crafts sessions to mark the spooky occasion. Picture: ORCHARD HOUSE CARE HOMEThe team at Orchard House, a residential dementia and nursing home in Money Bank, Wisbech planned several Halloween arts and crafts sessions to mark the spooky occasion. Picture: ORCHARD HOUSE CARE HOME (Image: Archant)

The team at Orchard House, a residential dementia and nursing home in Money Bank, planned several themed arts and crafts sessions to mark the spooky occasion.

The festivities started off with staff and residents creating a Halloween festival, casting a spell throughout the home which each room covered with pumpkins, cobwebs, bats, spiders, ghosts and even a real life witch’s cat or Oxford, as the home’s house cat is known.

Arts and crafts looked very different for the themed occasion as residents made gravestone props. Laughter and banter were shared by all as the residents came up with names to mark the gravestones: Aji-Tate and Dick-Tate were the favourites.

The craft sessions were followed with pumpkin carving in preparation for a competition to be held at the end of the week.

“This takes me back to being a kid,” said 89-year-old Jean, one of the residents taking part in the carving. However, not all of the residents were impressed by their rivals’ efforts: “That one wouldn’t help us in the dark” said 87-year-old Molly.

After finishing her entry for the pumpkin carving competition, 96-year-old Orchard House Care Home resident Betty said: “This is fantastic, I haven’t done one of these for years.”

The final events of the week were a Halloween party with cake decorating and skeleton gingerbreads, games and a movie.

New to this year’s celebrations was ‘reverse trick or treat’, which saw staff go door to door, arms full of goodies to give out to residents.

Activity co-ordinator Miranda who, along with her colleagues, had planned the week’s spooktacular events, said: “It has been really important for us to carry on celebrating events that we would normally.

“There is always something going on, so Halloween week was always going to be a fun packed week. “The enjoyment and laughter had by all is infectious, we have had a fang-tastic time. I also love the fact that it brought back a lot of fond memories for all.”