We haven't got the wonderful blue skies this year but we are still eagerly awaiting the Red Arrows flyover on the way to Sidmouth. Always an amazing display!

A lovely time had by all watching (and joining in with) the wonderful 'Rough Music'. Such a talented group of musicians, made our day!

Just a brief glimpse of our wonderful conncert today - just to share the joy!

“I wanted to write and express our huge gratitude to everyone at The Old Vicarage who made [Mum’s] stay such a comfortable one and for creating such a caring and compassionate environment.

I visited numerous care homes prior to choosing The Old Vicarage but the choice at the end of the day was an easy one. Not only did it have the best reputation but having visited it myself it simply reinforced what I already suspected.

Without exception everyone, whether experienced or otherwise, was professional, kind and considerate. Never once did I hear or see anything untoward. Given that such a working environment can at times be frustrating, I think it is testament to the professionalism and genuine commitment of all your staff.

[Mum] would regularly say to me that she couldn’t have been in a better place. We greatly appreciated the care she received throughout her stay and in those final few weeks. Her end of life care was just as it should be; warm, genuine, compassionate and of course with some humour.

Thank you to everyone at The Old Vicarage, we will be forever grateful."

Family of resident, received August 2018.

It is always so sad to lose one of our friends but also sometimes we have to accept that the time has come to let them go. This letter from one of our lovely families is so wonderful to receive and hits the nail on the head. You can decorate and furnish a house nicely, but it is the people inside it and their caring hearts that make the place a home. I agree that what makes The Old Vicarage a special place is the genuine commitment, kindness, patience, loyalty and humour of our very special staff. I for one am very proud of every single one of them. We are very blessed to have them all. Rebecca.

We have started preparing for our beach-themed week, it's easy to get in the mood in this weather. We are pebble painting our favourite beache scenes, palm trees and golden sands! Luckily we have an endless supply of pebbles to paint, dug up from our own garden, washed off and ready to paint. These will look wonderful, decorating the house as part of our beach day on Friday - sand sculptures and fish and chip lunch still to come!

An energetic and enthusiastic game of boules on the front lawn, a great way to blow the cobwebs away.... We earnt that cup of tea and cake afterwards!