Residents at Mary Rose Manor attended and enjoyed a Hawaiian themed party event, located in the Bridge lounge and garden of the Home.

A Hawaiian theme was chosen for several reasons:

• It has great connotations of summer and sunshine and would fit seasonally.
• The bright colour themes
• It is a relatable theme; residents of all ages could recognise and engage with the topic.
• The theme had a lot of content that the team could use and build on. Some of the content that were considered were sea, sun, flowers, colour, tropical, trees, fruits, costumes. There were also plenty of starting points for games, decorations, music and fluids and nutrition.

The vision was to have bright colours everywhere. The residents were very involved in decorating for this event by making paper leis and using a variety of painting techniques to paint large hibiscus flowers, palm leaves and pineapples.

To set the Hawaiian Island scene, Hawaiian landscape murals were put up along walls, beautiful felt and cardboard palm trees and inflatable props such as pineapples and tropical birds. The team made large, glittered signs (‘Aloha’ and ‘Luau’) which stood out and grabbed attention and they also added coloured paper lantern garlands which were also very eye-catching. In the garden the team hung coloured and patterned themed bunting, used the popular bubble machine and set up most of the games involving colourful themed props.

Mary Rose Manor’s version of ‘Flamingo Hoopla’ was very entertaining for all playing. The aim of the game was to toss bright flowered disks over the heads of pink flamingos on sticks. Residents enjoyed cheering each other on and this became quite a social game.

The ‘Beach Volleyball’ was greatly successful and attendees were able to encourage residents who may not have usually participated in group or physical activities to join in. It fostered a real team moral atmosphere with staff also getting involved and ensuring its success.

The mock ‘Coconut Shy’ proved popular and props from a previous event were utilised and recycled.

Mary Rose Manor’s very own ice cream stand, ‘Copnor Scoops’ made another appearance and was parked outside offering refreshment in the sunshine and again proved to be very popular and a great alternative source of fluids.

In the lounge the residents enjoyed the photo booth.  A bright and colourful frame was made using a variety of craft flowers and tiki mask props to use with paper leis and a Hawaiian backdrop to set a Hawaiian snapshot memory for the residents.

The kitchen provided a fantastic party buffet with all the residents’ favourites ensuring they all were very well fed. There was a fresh fruit display which prompted some residents to try and enjoy fresh fruits they had not ever tasted.

The Mocktail stand was also used again and with its tropical menu, ensured everyone was very well hydrated and cool. It became a social hub with residents chatting whilst deciding on their next mocktail.

This was all enjoyed to the background music of Hawaiian ukulele music which set a lively scene, with lots of dancing, fun and laughter. Residents spent a great deal of time outside enjoying the Hawaiian musical playlist in the sunshine and played games with each other and with staff.

The afternoon was a great success and fun was had by all who attended. The event is still being talked about and feedback from both staff and residents has been very positive.

Mary Rose Manor are looking to hold another event in either October or beginning of November and are currently discussing potential themes. It is likely to be based around the autumnal season.