There was a wonderful atmosphere at The New Deanery & St Mary’s Court as more than 130 residents, families, friends and members of the local community came together for our spectacular Italian-themed celebration. Inspired by the sights, sounds and flavours of Italy, the afternoon was filled with fantastic entertainment, delicious food and plenty of opportunities to reminisce.
One of the highlights of the day was the arrival of over 30 classic scooters, with members of the Sudbury Scooter Club making a special visit in support of one of our residents who was once a member of the club. Seeing the impressive display brought back many treasured memories, with our residents enjoying the chance to chat with the owners, admire the vehicles up close and share stories from years gone by.
The celebrations continued with live performances from opera singer Lorraine Ely, whose incredible voice provided the perfect soundtrack to the afternoon and of course, no Italian celebration would be complete without wonderful food, and our catering team certainly delivered! Our lovely guests enjoyed a delicious selection of homemade Italian favourites, including lasagne, freshly prepared pasta dishes and colourful salads, all of which received fantastic feedback from residents and their families.
Here are just a few of our favourite moments captured from the day:

The event welcomed more than 130 people through the doors, making it one of the home’s biggest community events of the summer and a wonderful opportunity to bring people together to celebrate, reconnect and create new memories.
Our incredible Home Manager, Hazel, said:
“It was wonderful to see so many people joining us for our Italian celebration. Bringing our residents together with their families, friends and the local community is something that’s incredibly important to us, and seeing everyone enjoying the entertainment, reminiscing over the beautiful scooters and sharing such fantastic food made it a truly special day. We’d like to thank everyone who came along and helped make the event such a success.”
Following the success of the Italian celebration, the team is already looking forward to welcoming everyone back for their End of Summer BBQ on Saturday 30th August, where our wonderful residents, relatives and members of the local community can once again enjoy great food, entertainment and an afternoon of fun together.

