Residents at a Haslemere-based care home have gone for gold after staging their own version of the Winter Olympic Games.

Redcot’s version of the Winter Olympic Games began on Monday, February 23, and are running until Monday, March 2, opening in true Olympic style with an inclusive ceremony.

“Knowing how much the residents enjoy all our meaningful activities and fun competitions, we thought it would be a great idea to host our very own Winter Olympic Games for them to enjoy and participate in,” said Latasha Jarrett, the registered manager at the care home, which is run by the Friends of the Elderly charity.

To set the Olympic scene, Redcot was transformed into a ‘Piste de Résistance’, decorated with Olympic rings and the flags of the competing countries.

Ms Jarrett said: “The teams are competing for points across a variety of fun and engaging Winter Olympic-themed games and activities, where both individuals and teams can win points throughout the week, with everyone encouraged to join in at their own pace.”

“Games we planned were all ‘Olympic-esque’ and included, for example, curling – but not as you know it,” added Jenny Ryder, one of Redcot’s activities co-ordinators.

“It was how many curlers a team could put into a staff member’s hair in two minutes. We also had a wide range of other games adapted for all abilities.

“When we told the residents about the Redcot Winter Olympic Games, they all agreed it would be ‘snow much fun’ and a fantastic ‘snow-cial’ activity.”

The week will conclude with a traditional closing ceremony on March 2, when final scores will be counted and winners announced in gold, silver and bronze positions.

“We will then hold our very own presentation of trophies, medals and prizes to celebrate everyone’s participation and the Redcot team spirit,” said Ms Jarrett.