The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane attended the Christmas fair held at St Thomas Care Home in Basingstoke to look at the new developments made to house more residents living with dementia.

The day was filled with entertainment from the Samaritans Choir as well as holding several Christmas gifts and cakes stalls on Saturday (December 15) to raise money for new activities at the care home.

They recently used this money to install a ‘magic table’ in the care home which projects images onto the table to help stimulate and engage the residents in physical and social interactions, including quizzes and football tournaments.

Basingstoke Gazette: The choir performed a collection of Christmas carols for the MayorThe choir performed a collection of Christmas carols for the Mayor

The care home was a former convent which has since been extended and refurbished to house over 70 guests which provides high quality 24-hour dementia care which offers another alternative for patients who can no longer live independently.

The Mayor said: “St Thomas Care Home was a former convent which has been beautifully extended and refurbished around a courtyard to house 72 people who are living with dementia.

Part of the old building is a lovely chapel, which was the venue for the home’s Christmas fair. It was an opportunity to find out about another care home which is serving our town so well.”

If you missed the event and would like to watch the Samaritans Choir, they will be performing again on Wednesday at the United Reformed Church on London Street.