Nostalgia

It's finally here!We are THRILLED to bring to you 'The ULTIMATE Christmas Gift Guide'.From stocking-stuffers to generous gifting, it's all here. And, of course, every item, every retailer we've included is from our wonderful Sevenoaks community.So, without further ado, we implore you to browse, feel inspired and support your local shops!Happy shopping!DOWNLOAD HERE: The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide 2023 P.S. There's still time to get involved! Simply contact Steph Harrison at steph881@hotmail.com.

Sarah Jane Grant is a personal stylist and shopper and a good friend of ours and the Sevenoaks community. Having overcome a life-changing event, Sarah found fashion and creativity as a way to rebuild her confidence, feel empowered and look after her own wellbeing. Colour analysis is one of her most popular services and she helps men and women to discover the correct colours for them. Now, over to Sarah to tell you more!  Colour has an amazing effect on how we feel and how we project our personality to the outside world. Sarah Jane Grant    Before we dive into colour

 Large keys carrying myth-busting messages are being placed in public spaces in Kent encouraging people to reconsider preconceptions. Campaign comes as new data from leading provider Greensleeves Care shows 93% care home residents are satisfied with their care. Three care homes in Kent (Lavender Fields in Seal, Gloucester House in Sevenoaks, and Mount Ephraim House in Tunbridge Wells) have launched Keys To Open Minds – a campaign to de-bunk common myths about life in care homes.The team and residents at Lavender Fields, Gloucester House and Mount Ephraim House are going out into the local area, placing keys in landmarks and public

Bookworms will rejoice in hearing that Sevenoaks’ very own children’s author, Jemma Hatt, has released a new book for kids to get their noses into. Just in time for the upcoming bank holidays and the school holidays ahead – music to every parent’s ears!‘Secrets at No. 6’ has just hit the shelves (and online shopping carts). If you’re fan of Jemma’s work on her award-winning mystery series, ‘The Adventurers’, then ‘Secrets at No. 6’ will not disappoint.Aimed at children between the ages of 8-12 years old, the book hits the sweet spot of being historical without being overwhelming and fast-paced

The activities team at Lavender Fields Care Home in Seal received two Greensleeves Care Awards last week: ‘Excellence in Resident Experience’ and ‘Provision of an Outstanding Activities Programme’.  The CQC-Good-rated home, which offers residential and dementia care, was commended for its thoughtful and person-centred approach to activities- in particular, its ‘Wishing Tree’ initiative.Diane Nolan, Activities Co-Ordinator, and Caroline Millen, Activities Assistant, have instilled the ‘Wishing Tree’ whereby residents write down three wishes - things they would love to do whilst at Lavender Fields - which are hung on the tree outside the home. The activities team then do their best to

Oasis were right when they said “Don’t look back in anger”! Here at Sevenoaks Samaritans, we are looking back in pride and amazement at how much we have achieved in the past year. Still a fledgling in the Samaritans’ nest, we have grown to over 100 Listening Volunteers, and raised vital funds to ensure our continued presence in Sevenoaks. But we’ve done much more than that….May 2022 saw our volunteers out and about at Sevenoaks Station supporting Mental Health Awareness Week.July saw us participating in the annual “SAMarathon” fundraising campaign – where we topped the national fundraising table, thanks in no small part to the

As a local Sevenoaks girl, I was only young when my family opened Welham Jones. I remember many a family meeting between them all round the dining table at home having discussion and making plans. At the time I had no idea or understanding of what a funeral was or what it was like to lose a loved one. Since the age of seven I have grown up with funerals, it has become second nature to me and I guess has made me more aware of it now as an adult, and that it isn’t something to be feared, but to

Vivian Laurent is looking to grow his team with local talent to help continue delivering outstanding care.Lavender Fields Care Home in Seal, Sevenoaks, has welcomed a new Home Manager, Vivian Laurent, to the helm. Vivian joins the Greensleeves Care home with multiple accolades and awards under his belt,as well as 20 years of experience in the care sector across various roles, having started as a care assistant and worked his way up through management. Vivian’s leadership at a previous home saw him earn an ‘Outstanding’ rating with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), an accolade which is only awarded to approximately 3.5% of care

Greensleeves Care named among the top care groups in England Not-for-profit care provider Greensleeves Care, which operates local care homes, Lavender Fields and Gloucester House, has achieved a ‘Top 20 Large Care Home Group’ Award for 2022 from leading online care home directory, Carehome.co.uk, for the fifth year running.Greensleeves’ overall review score stands at 9.5 out of 10, the result of 915 reviews received across the organisation’s 26 care homes. The Trust shares the list with other sector-leading names including Barchester Healthcare Ltd, Bupa Care Homes and Hallmark Care Homes. Along with its inclusion in the top large care home group list,

Team members at Gloucester House, a Greensleeves Care home in Sevenoaks, took to the nation’s Capital on 2nd July to march in London’s annual Pride Parade. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the first London Pride in 1972, as well as the first one in three years due to COVID-19 restrictions.Diana Sagu, a staff nurse from Gloucester House, attended along a fellow nursing colleague, and Senior Family Liaison Manager, Andy Wilson. They were joined by colleagues from other Greensleeves Care homes, as well as from the charity’s head office.Andy Wilson said:“It was a thoroughly rewarding experience to march in