Newtown farmer John Hughes, famously known as 'The Singing Farmer', welcomed the community back to The Oaks Care Home in Newtown, Powys, during a special Open Day.

John, who combines a large repertoire of songs with stories of life on the farm, performed to residents and visitors.

Open Day guests also included a number of local town and county councillors, Police Community Support Officers and members of the Canolfan Gwaith Y Drenewydd Jobcentre in Newtown.

Chefs at The Oaks Care Home in Newtown made a selection of home-made cakes for the event including chocolate brownies and marble cake.

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The Oaks Care Home Manager Jen Roberts said: "It was such a lovely day and we all enjoyed welcoming our local neighbours, Police Community Support Officers, councillors and colleagues from the JobCentre back into the home after such a long time.

"Newtown is a very close-knit community and when we opened the home just over three years ago the community support was really amazing, and we have very much missed seeing our friends dropping in for a chat and a coffee.

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"It was also great to be able to open our doors to the public to allow them to see how we do things at the home. All of our staff work tirelessly every day towards achieving our five core values of Pride, Determination, Positivity, Diligence and Empathy."

Councillor Pete Lewington said: "The Oaks Open day was a lovely opportunity to visit and view the facilities in person. It was great to have conversations with staff, view the resident's home including their spacious en-suite rooms and communal dining areas, and see how the home operates in general. I was very impressed.

"It was also lovely to see town councillors, county councillors, the local job centre and the Police engaging with The Oaks Community today - the day was a huge success.

"We are looking forward to creating future connections with Sandstone Care, starting by inviting them to do a presentation to all the town's councillors."

Councillor Joy Jones said: "The Open Day at the Oaks was very important for the community. It gave anyone in the area an opportunity to pop in for some tea and cake, have a look around and discuss their needs with openness. People were able to see what services The Oaks provide and what an amazing job their staff are doing to look after the elderly of this community.

"It was great to see the residents are so happy here. Every floor of the home we visited we were met with smiling faces. You could see straight away that the residents are being treated and respected in the correct way. It was nice to see the place fully operational, exceptionally clean and the care was at a very high standard.

"We look forward to being able to use The Oaks Care Home's facilities as outside bodies - we have no community hall on this estate and Sandstone Care have confirmed it will be a dedicated community hub for all of Newtown, including community groups and regular coffee mornings."

Councillor Margaret Lewington said: "The home has been very welcoming. I had no idea how a care home operated before I came to The Oaks open day. It was a pleasant eye opener and a wonderful experience. I especially enjoyed the home-made cakes from the home's kitchen staff."

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