A Dewsbury care home celebrated National Hug Day with bear hugs all round

Sharon Troy, home manager at Ashworth Grange, which is operated by Ideal Carehomes, donned a full body teddy bear suit for her entire shift to bring a smile to the faces of residents and staff.

With its white fluffy tummy and cheeky red sticky out tongue, ‘teddy’ was a giant hit all round as he handed out bear themed biscuits and buns.

National Hug Day was not the first time Ashworth Grange residents have been treated to fancy dress fun. The home’s lifestyle manager Collette Senior said staff dress up and put on special costumed events every month.

She said: “Since the first lockdown we’ve been using fancy dress to keep everyone cheerful and on their toes – they never know what to expect next!

“Over the last few months we’ve all dressed up as if we were about to go on a trip to the seaside, we’ve donned bunny rabbit ears and fluffy tails, we got creative with a glamorous 1940s fashion theme and had some mischievous fun dressed as clowns.

“It keeps everyone laughing and smiling and creates lots to talk about.”

Ashworth Grange resident Brian Butler, 85, said: “Me and my wife Joyce absolutely loved meeting the teddy . It was really fun to watch not only the bear, but everyone else’s faces as they first saw it.

“The carers are such good sports, always dressing up to make us laugh.”

Home manager Sharon said: “We do like a giggle at Ashworth Grange.

“Our fancy dress happenings are so popular that we’re all building up sizeable dressing up collections at home. We work out creative ways to recycle them for different events, so nothing we buy is used only once and put away into storage.

“It’s great for staff morale as well as entertaining the residents. We’ve all got a bit of a performer in us!”

Ashworth Grange is a purpose built luxury care home operated by Ideal Carehomes. With 64 ensuite bedrooms, it has landscaped gardens and a full and varied activities programme. It is rated good by the Care Quality Commission.