Crafts spreading festive cheer for residents at Guildford care home

Guildford care home residents embrace festive joy with sensory Christmas crafts

Residents at a Guildford care home are embracing the festive spirit with a Christmas crafts programme designed to bring therapeutic benefits to people living with dementia.

The 12 Weeks of Craftmas, initiative at Claremont Court Care Home, in Harts Gardens, is inspired by the traditional 12 Days of Christmas but features a playful twist with homemade for each day that are colourful and sensory.

The project began 12 weeks ago at the home, which won Nursing Home of the Year award at the Surrey Care Awards in November 2024, and culminates in a special Christmas Eve activity celebrating the residents’ creativity.

The team decided to put their own spin on the festive artworks to make them interactive and amusing with the “partridge in a pear tree” including both pears and pairs of cards in the tree.

The artworks are also designed to be vibrant and tactile, incorporating materials such as feathers, cotton wool, felt, and tissue paper to create a multi-sensory experience.

Resident Peter Brough said; “I had so much fun making them because they’re so funny.”

Fellow resident, Ann Hearne, loved the creative process.  “I enjoyed feeling the textures of the materials,” she said..

According to Dementia UK, crafts have a number of benefits for people living with dementia including engaging their senses, improving dexterity, utilising skills, providing social time and in some cases improving the person’s ability to perform daily activities.

“Crafting is about more than just making something—it’s a way to spark imagination, connect with others, and provide a sense of achievement,” said lifestyle coordinator Tash.

“For our residents living with dementia, the sensory elements of the crafts bring comfort and engagement, and seeing their smiles as they create is the best Christmas gift of all.”

The team at the 57-bed home, which caters exclusively for people living with advanced and complex dementia, plans to showcase the artworks in a display together with residents and their families in a special celebration and singalong to mark Christmas.

Care home manager Karen Byres added: “Our 12 Weeks of Craftmas has been a wonderful way to celebrate the festive season, but also shows the wider benefits that creative activities bring to our residents.

“Crafts help to create a sense of community, reduce anxiety, and improve overall wellbeing and it’s something we think is very important all year round.

“It’s been a delight to see our residents come together, laughing, sharing stories, and creating something beautiful at Christmas.”