Ferndown, Health & Lifestyle | Posted on March 31st, 2026 | return to news

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party held in Ferndown care home

Fairlawn care home in Ferndown held the party to celebrate a staff member’s 25 years of dedicated service.

Fairlawn care home in Ferndown threw a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in March to celebrate a staff member’s 25 years of dedicated service at the not-for-profit charity Care South.

Debbie Barnes, a housekeeper at the care home, was treated as a guest of honour at the surprise party organised by her colleagues and the home’s residents.

The ‘Alice in Wonderland’-themed party featured a three-tier cake, teapots filled with cheese straws, fine bone china teapots and cups, and cake stands filled with sandwiches and cakes, all freshly prepared by the home’s chefs.

Barnes said: “It doesn’t feel like 25 years. I love our residents and staff. You go into a resident’s room, and they just light up when they see me, which is a nice feeling. It has always been like a second home to me.

“My daughters, Karren, Donna and Vicky, have all worked at Fairlawn as well, and they have all enjoyed it, as it’s such a great place to work.”

She plans to retire this year to spend more time with her three daughters and nine grandchildren.

Tina Vincent, home manager at Fairlawn, said: “We are so lucky to have Debbie in our team here at Fairlawn. In all that time with us, she has never taken a day off sick. She is an absolutely integral part of the team, and she knows all of our residents and staff so well.

“She has also been part of the team that has won the Pride in Your Service Award twice at our annual Care South Stars Awards ceremony, which speaks for itself about the high standards that our team delivers. She also joins in with activities run by our in-house activities team and is a pleasure to work with.”

Fairlawn is part of the Care South family of care homes and provides residential, respite and dementia care. For more information about the services available, go to www.care-south.co.uk or call Care South on 01202 712410.