Music and dance featured in the day celebrating cultural diversity at Kingfishers in New Milton

PICTURES: New Milton care home celebrates cultural diversity

Paul JonesNovember 1, 20230 Comment0

A NEW Milton care home held a special day to celebrate cultural diversity – including utilising the heritage of staff.

Team members from six different countries helped Kingfishers, in New Milton, make the day an authentic success.

Colleagues from India, Portugal, Thailand, China, Germany and the Philippines joined families and residents for a host of multicultural festivities at the home, run by Colten Care.

Music, dancing, national costumes, traditional food treats and presentations with interesting facts about different regions and countries were among the activities on offer.

Companionship team leader, Rose Arcellana, who is from the Philippines, said: “Our team is very cosmopolitan with staff members representing a lot of different nationalities.

“We thought it would be a great idea to get together and share a flavour of our backgrounds and home countries.

“The dances included a Philippine candle dance I performed with my compatriot Joy Condino, our senior care lead.

“On the culinary side, our Portuguese Waitress Julieta Caires prepared a delicious dish of pork with garlic bread and potatoes served with a glass of sangria.

“This was a memorable afternoon for our residents. They loved the colour, the costumes, the dancing and the food.”

Resident Jeanne Wynn said: “It was amazing to see the staff showcasing their cultures and sharing them with us. My fellow residents and I thought it was fantastic.”

As well as the Philippines and Portugal, the countries represented were China, by senior care lead Faye Suenfa; India, by health care assistant Nanda Venugopalan; Thailand, by health care assistant Noi Bayliss; and Germany, by companionship team member Christina Holliday.

Home manager at Kingfishers, Zoe Mills, said: “Having a truly multicultural team from so many backgrounds enables us to share experiences, skills and knowledge that enrich our workplace and our engagement with residents and their families. That’s certainly something to celebrate.”