AKW Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Sanctuary Care

On Friday 14th February 2025, AKW supported Sanctuary Care with a special Valentine’s Day lunch event for six couples at their Park View Care Home in Sheffield.

As part of the Helping Hands volunteering scheme which encourages AKW colleagues to get involved with their local communities as part of their employment, Content Manager Laura Gregory spent the morning with several residents, including 98-year-old Jim who taught her how to play Dominoes, a game she hadn’t played since she was a child.

Laura then helped the very lovely Janet, Christine, Vera and Sylvia prepare for Valentine’s Day lunch with their beloved husbands by painting their nails a pretty shade of blush pink, which they absolutely loved.

Six couples, three of whom reside together at Park View, including the delightful Vera and Reg who have been married for 60 years, then enjoyed a very special three-course meal for Valentine’s Day. Each couple dined at their own table which were decorated with individual paper roses, love hearts, and origami napkins, they were also treated to glasses of pink Prosecco, and a selection of Cadbury Milk Tray chocolates which were gifted by the AKW team.

Laura thoroughly enjoyed her experience assisting the Sanctuary Care team with serving the couples their meal and spending time with the Home’s residents, who were a pleasure to talk to and play games with.

“This was my first time volunteering as part of the Helping Hands volunteering scheme, and I already can’t wait for a second in 2025! I spent a lot of time in Care Homes growing up as family members worked and lived in Homes close by, so it was very nostalgic to get to know the residents, meet the team, and spend a day lending a hand at Park View.

It was also a joy to help with serving the Valentine’s Day lunch, it was a very romantic set up that the staff put a lot of love and attention into, the residents were absolutely thrilled and adored the 5* treatment with their loved ones!”

Thank you to all the team and residents at Park View Care Home in Sheffield for making Laura feel very welcome, she truly felt the love from everyone she met!

Read more about AKW colleagues’ experiences giving back to people in the community.