Going the extra furlong: Surrey care home arranges mobile farm and pony visit for a resident’s 102nd birthday

A resident of a Surrey care home has celebrated her 102nd birthday in style, with the home organising a day of fun-filled surprises to mark the occasion – including an extra special visit from some four-legged friends and the local town mayor.

Princess Christian Care Centre, part of the family-run Nellsar group, recently arranged a very memorable day for resident, Joyce Tofts, aiming for it to be bigger and better than the birthday wish they made a reality for Joyce’s 100th birthday back in October 2020, when Joyce joked with her carers that she hoped to receive a pony to mark the occasion. Reaching out on social media for help, the home arranged for a surprise pony visit to mark Joyce’s 100th birthday – and the care home was determined to go one step further this year.

Joyce started the day with a pamper session in the home’s salon, where she had her hair and make-up done. Joyce was then escorted to the resident lounge where she was greeted with a table of presents, cards, balloons and a bouquet of flowers from her fellow residents and care staff, before receiving a special visit with a difference. Joyce was delighted to receive a visit from members of her family too.

Princess Christian Care Centre welcomed a host of adorable farm animals, including ‘Misty’ the Pony, ‘Del Boy’ the Donkey, ‘Alice’ the Goat, ‘Betty’ the Lamb, ‘Emintrude’ the Cow, ‘Soy’ the Piglet and ‘Erksie’ the Turkey — which saw Joyce and her fellow residents hold, pet and take pictures with the animals.

Fellow residents came together to celebrate Joyce’s special day, immersing themselves amongst the animals, which is known to lower anxiety and stress levels, stimulate memory and endorphins, and reduce depression and blood pressure.

The excitement didn’t stop there, though, with Joyce receiving a personal visit from the Mayor of Woking later that afternoon, with a gigantic chocolate cake presented by the home’s Head Chef, Cosmin Cristea.

Speaking of her day, Joyce said: “Princess Christian outdid themselves again! I feel very lucky to have so many people go above and beyond for me and couldn’t be happier with how the day went.”

Mario Taherian, General Manager at Nellsar’s Princess Christian Care Centre, said: “Joyce is adored by everyone throughout the home, so we wanted to ensure she had a day that befit her admiration amongst her carers and residents. It was a pleasure to see how she was throughout.”

For more information on Princess Christian Care Centre, please visit https://princess-christian.nellsar.com/. Or for more information on Nellsar, visit https://www.nellsar.com/.