A Lowestoft care home has opened an activity centre for its residents and assisted living tenants to be able to enjoy activities in a 'safe and collaborative' environment.

The Dell, a branch of Wellbeing Care that provides residential, dementia and respite care, has reopened its former day care centre as The Dell’s Activity Centre, in conjunction with Wellbeing Care’s Dell View, which specialises in assisted living services.

The day care centre, that was once open to the public, closed at the start of the pandemic when it was too dangerous to have outside visitors on site.

After sitting vacant for several years, it has since been reinvented for internal use for the residents and tenants at the Cotmer Road care services.

Lowestoft Journal: The Dell care home in Lowestoft has opened a new activity centre. The Dell care home in Lowestoft has opened a new activity centre. (Image: Wellbeing Care)

The centre opened with a breakfast club, which it looks to extend to twice a week, giving residents the opportunity to get together outside of the typical care setting, engage in conversation and enjoy some food.

Lee, a tenant from Dell View, has found himself a new job where he helps to prepare and cook the breakfast for the residents before serving it to them. 

The team who run the centre also have plans for coffee mornings, fetes and other activities, which will be accelerated by the better weather in coming months.

Lowestoft Journal: A resident at The Dell care home in Lowestoft helping to prepare breakfast. A resident at The Dell care home in Lowestoft helping to prepare breakfast. (Image: Wellbeing Care)

Joy Henshaw, regional director of Wellbeing Care, said: “When we first opened it was really lovely.

"The residents loved getting out, albeit a short distance across to the centre, and they loved the fact that it was the tenants from ‘down the bottom’ serving them.

"They wanted to know so much about them and it was really inquisitive.

Lowestoft Journal: A resident at The Dell care home in Lowestoft enjoying breakfast in the reopened day care centre. A resident at The Dell care home in Lowestoft enjoying breakfast in the reopened day care centre. (Image: Wellbeing Care)

“Rather than labelling those with a learning disability and saying they can't mix with other people or separating the elderly from society, it's been lovely seeing them interact together.

"It's great that this much-loved space has reopened its doors and we can't wait to see all of the wonderful things that it will bring to our residents and tenants in the coming months," Ms Henshaw said.