Ewelina Wagner, one of Bernard Sunley's Activities Coordinators at the care home's Aloha Hawaiian Party
Activities coordinator Ewelina Wagner brings out some refreshments (FOTE)

Bernard Sunley Residents Rose Davis, Geoff Harrold and Dorothy Spreadbury getting into the Hawaiian Spirit
Residents Rose Davis, Geoff Harrold and Dorothy Spreadbury get into the Hawaiian spirit (FOTE)

Bernard Sunley Resident, Barbara Watts, in her Hawaiian Lei enjoying the care home's Aloha Summer Fiesta
Barbara Watts adds a splash of colour in her Hawaiian lei (FOTE)

Residents at Bernard Sunley, the Woking-based residential, nursing and dementia care home run by charity Friends of the Elderly, have been enjoying an aloha summertime Hawaiian barbecue and party.

“The care home was transformed into a Pacific paradise and, just like the famous Hawaiian aloha spirit, there was a warm and welcoming atmosphere,” said Andy Cumper, the registered manager at Bernard Sunley.

Monika Ahmed, one of Bernard Sunley’s activity coordinators, added: “The garden became a tropical vista that even the gardener at the botanical gardens on Oahu would have been proud of, complete with faux palm trees, bright and colourful flowers and even some watermelon and jackfruit balloons. It really did look stunning.”

The care team dressed as traditional hula dancers, with flower headdresses, colourful grass skirts and gorgeous flower necklaces known as lei.

“We also ensured that each resident wore their very own lei,” added Ewelina Wagner, the other activities coordinator at the care home. “Lei’s are given out at special occasions and symbolise affection, love and honour, everything we feel for our residents so they were a perfect little gift.”

The residents thoroughly enjoyed a selection of cocktails and a barbecue, as well as singing along with, and dancing to a fabulous performance by the hip-twisting Elvis tribute singer, Jimmy Kent.

Andy said: “The residents never cease to amaze me with their movie trivia knowledge. We were chatting about Hawaii, the aloha event and let the residents know that Jimmy Kent would be performing.

“One resident told the group that Elvis Presley’s famous 1961 blockbuster, Blue Hawaii, was filmed on Kauai and Oahu, and that the storyline of the film was actually a real-life parallel as Elvis's character, Chad Gates, had just left the army, matching Elvis's actual return from his military service shortly before he started filming.”