A NEW Forest care home held a dedicated African heritage day in honour of its international workforce.
Fun, food and friendship were in focus as Colten Care’s Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst hosted activities to celebrate the contribution of team members from the continent.
Proceedings were led by husband-and-wife Dickson and Abi Ogunmola from Nigeria, who dressed in traditional costumes and invited residents and colleagues to join them in dance styles such as bata and ekombi.
Abi, a waitress, and Dickson, a healthcare assistant, also gave a talk about their Nigerian heritage, family values, traditions and cuisine.
And they shared some popular dishes favoured in Nigeria such as plantain and fried bean cakes.
Abi said: “It was lovely to show something of our home country with the residents. Nigeria has many different traditions so we only touched the surface, but people were clearly interested in what we had to say and were enjoying themselves.”
Woodpeckers’ celebration was inspired by the recent UNESCO African Heritage Day which saw events take place across the world reflecting the culture of Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa and other African countries.
Companionship team leader Jane Bunker added: “It is always meaningful and informative to highlight the backgrounds of our international team.
“We rely so much on everyone’s experience, dedication and skill to enrich the daily lives of our residents. And this was a great chance to have fun at the same time in a party mood.”