Brendoncare Knightwood residents visit Bournemouth beach

A group from Brendoncare Knightwood in Chandler’s Ford were taken on a trip to Bournemouth beach and the New Forest.

They savoured their fish and chips and some residents even dipped their toes in the sea and sand.

There was much reminiscing about family beach holidays in their younger days.

After lunch they took a scenic tour through the New Forest where they stopped for tea and cake.

Jeanne De Le Cuona, a resident at Brendoncare Knightwood, said: “It was truly the best day and so lovely to see the sand and sea.”

And another resident, Pat, commented: “My fish and chips were lovely and I enjoyed the day out with the other residents and staff.”

The trip was made using the Across Jumbulance (Jumbulance comes from “jumbo-ambulance” as it is a registered ambulance complete with blue lights and sirens!).

The two charities, Brendoncare and Across, supported each other at a time where there have been big changes and challenges. For Brendoncare, residents have been fairly isolated for the majority of the past year or so, and for Across there has been no travel abroad at all in 2020 or 2021, so by working together on the day out, it was beneficial to both charities.

Leeanne Broyd, Activities Coordinator at Brendoncare Knightwood, said, “It was such a wonderful day. All the residents had so much fun and there was a lot of laughter and chatter. The fresh sea air was truly beneficial for their well-being. We loved hearing their stories about visiting the seaside when they were children.

“We were all delighted that the day went smoothly and we hope to be able to get out again soon.”

Brendoncare Knightwood is run by Winchester-based charity, The Brendoncare Foundation.

It offers residential, respite, and end of life care in its 20 bedroom care home. There are also 30 close-care apartments and seven bungalows on the same site for independent living.

Care at home is available to these residents, should it be needed to help remain living independently.