Community Summer at Mountside Care Home

Summer has brought some very special moments to Mountside Care Home. With the sun shining and our garden looking its best, it has provided the perfect setting for residents, families, friends, team members and visitors from our local community to spend time together.

From a relaxed barbecue outdoors to the excitement of our Summer Fair, the season has been filled with laughter and companionship. These occasions reflect something central to life at Mountside: creating a genuine community where every resident can feel safe, included and at home.

The perfect moment for a garden barbecue

There is something wonderfully familiar about a summer barbecue. The smell of food cooking and the sound of people chatting can bring back happy memories of family gatherings and warm afternoons in the garden.

When the weather gave us the perfect opportunity, we made the most of our wonderful Mountside garden with a relaxed barbecue for residents. Sharing good food in the fresh air turned an ordinary summer day into an occasion, while still retaining the easy, familiar feeling of life at home.

This sense of normality is important. Moving into a care home may bring changes, but it should not mean leaving behind the pleasures, routines and traditions that make life meaningful. Eating outside on a sunny day can offer reassurance and help residents feel connected to experiences they have always enjoyed.

These moments do not need to be complicated to matter. Sitting with friends, choosing something tasty from the barbecue and enjoying the garden can create a sense of comfort and belonging. They help make Mountside not simply a place where care is provided, but a place where life continues to be lived and enjoyed.

A Summer Fair to remember

Our Summer Fair brought that community spirit to life on an even bigger scale. Residents, families, friends, team members and people from the local Hastings community came together in the Mountside garden for an afternoon of traditional summer fair fun.

There was delicious food, homemade cakes and fantastic live entertainment, with plenty of opportunities to chat and enjoy the atmosphere. Seeing different generations sharing the garden made the day particularly special.

We are delighted to share that the fair raised an incredible £1,020 for our Residents’ Fund. This generous total will help us provide more activities, entertainment and special experiences for the people who live at Mountside. We are extremely grateful to everyone who attended, contributed, donated, baked, entertained or helped the day run so successfully.

The amount raised is a wonderful achievement, but the value of the day reaches beyond the total. It was also about celebrating the season and enjoying the warmth of the Mountside community. Residents could welcome people into their home and enjoy an occasion that brought the wider community to them.

Why belonging matters in a care home

A strong sense of belonging matters at every stage of life. We all want to feel known, valued and included. For someone living in a care home, that feeling can be especially important. Familiar faces, shared routines and regular opportunities to connect with others can bring reassurance and help create a valuable sense of safety.

At Mountside, community is not reserved for major events. It is built through everyday conversations, shared meals, activities, interests and relationships. Occasions such as our barbecue and Summer Fair build on those foundations, giving everyone something to anticipate and remember together.

Belonging also comes from having a role in the life of the home. Residents are not simply attending an event at a care setting; they are welcoming guests into their home, sharing the day with friends and helping to create its atmosphere.

That distinction is important. It supports identity, connection and the feeling that Mountside truly belongs to the people who live here.

Keeping family and friendships at the heart of life

Families and friends are an essential part of the Mountside community. The relationships a person has built over a lifetime remain important when they move into a care home, and we want loved ones to continue sharing ordinary days as well as celebrations.

Events in our garden create relaxed opportunities for residents and loved ones to spend meaningful time together. Families can share food, enjoy entertainment, meet other residents and team members, and become part of the rhythm of life at the home.

This involvement benefits the whole community. It helps relatives feel connected and reassured, allows friendships to continue naturally and gives residents more chances to make new memories with the people who matter to them. It also enables families to get to know one another, strengthening the supportive network around the home.

Welcoming our wider Hastings community

Mountside is a home within a community, not separate from it. Welcoming local people through our doors helps residents remain connected to life beyond the home and creates opportunities for new friendships, conversations and experiences.

Community visitors bring fresh energy and help our Summer Fair feel like a familiar local occasion. They can also see the warmth and companionship that are part of everyday life at Mountside.

These connections can challenge outdated ideas about care homes. A care home can be a lively, welcoming place where relationships grow, and residents remain involved in the world around them. Everyone who takes part helps us create an even better place to call home.

More than a season of events

Our summer barbecue and Summer Fair have given us many happy memories, but their importance lies in more than the events themselves. They reflect the kind of home we work hard to create throughout the year: welcoming, connected and shaped by the people who live here.

By preserving familiar pleasures, celebrating traditions and bringing residents together with families, friends and our wider Hastings community, we support the sense of normality, security and belonging that makes a place feel like home.

Thank you to everyone who shared these summer moments with us and to all those who helped our Summer Fair raise an amazing £1,020 for the Residents’ Fund. Your support, friendship and involvement are all part of what makes the Mountside community so special.