International Food Tasting Event

Sundial Care Home near Sidmouth recently held its annual international food tasting event, with team members bringing in homemade dishes from around the world and from their own heritage to share with family members (residents) and the rest of the team.

The event is a chance to celebrate the different cultures through food within the residential care home, with everyone encouraged to taste something they may not have tried before. It also gives team members an opportunity to bring something personal from their own lives into the home, whether that is a favourite dish, a family recipe or food connected to their culture.

This year, the table was filled with chicken noodles, balti curry and rice, samosas and bhajis, followed by brownies and flapjacks. Rather than a usual lunchtime, plates and dishes were passed around the table for people to sample, with conversation naturally turning to the different flavours and ingredients.

There was also a homemade lassi made with yoghurt, mint, coriander and pepper, traditionally enjoyed after curry to refresh the palate. The drink proved particularly interesting for those tasting it for the first time and prompted plenty of discussion about what went into it and the different food traditions people had experienced over the years.

The international food tasting also reflects the wider community within Sundial, where people from different backgrounds spend their days together and get to know one another beyond their everyday routines. Bringing a dish from home is one small way for team members to share a part of who they are with the people they live and work alongside.

Regular events like this are an important part of the community at Sundial, bringing family members and team members together and strengthening the sense of belonging within the home.

If you would like to learn more about Sundial Care Home, please visit: https://www.sundialcare.com/activities-in-care/

Local Therapist Brings Mindfulness Through Art to Sundial Care Home

Painted pebbles, gold-leaf seashells and handmade surfboards have been taking shape at Sundial Care Home in Tipton St John, during a series of monthly Minds Matter art therapy sessions.

The sessions are led by local cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist Charlotte Allen, who primarily works with children but also brings her work into care home settings. Charlotte visits the residential care home near Sidmouth once a month with a different creative project for family members (residents) to try. Each session gives family members plenty of room to explore the materials in their own way, choosing the colours, shapes and designs that appeal to them without needing any previous art experience.

Recent sessions have followed a seaside theme, with family members decorating pebbles, making seaside pieces from air-dry clay and adding gold leaf to seashells. The finished pieces were then brought together in display frames, so each person’s creation became a part of something. Other sessions have included making glitter jars, which can be turned and watched as the glitter settles.

The creative sessions are as much about the process as the finished pieces, supporting fine motor skills, mindfulness and focus, while giving family members the opportunity to make their own creative choices and enjoy the social interaction that comes with making something together.

Charlotte Allen shared: “I try to make each session varied, interesting and easy for everyone to take part in. I enjoy seeing residents make their own choices about colours, shapes and designs, and the conversations that often come from a shared activity.”

Mindfulness can play a valuable part in supporting wellbeing within a care home. Moments that allow someone to feel settled and absorbed can ease restlessness and support emotional wellbeing, bringing a little more balance to the everyday.

The monthly sessions will continue at Sundial Care Home, with new materials and ideas giving family members something different to explore each time.

If you would like to learn more about Sundial Care Home, please visit: https://www.sundialcare.com/activities-in-care/

Pumpkins Take Over Victorian Castle as Watermouth Castle Launches Brand-New Autumn Event

For the first time this autumn, one of North Devon’s most unusual family attractions is set to turn orange as Watermouth Castle launches Pumpkins at the Castle – a brand-new family event for 2026.

Running from 26th September to 1st November, the Victorian castle and its grounds will undergo a spectacular autumn transformation, with thousands of pumpkins, pumpkin-lined walkways, seasonal photo installations, an autumn market, trick or treating and marshmallow toasting joining Watermouth’s much-loved rides, gardens, museums and attractions.

The new experience is included with general admission, giving families a full day to explore the Castle and enjoy its brand-new autumn additions along the way.

Follow the Pumpkins to the Castle

The autumn experience begins from the moment families make their way through the grounds, with walkways lined with hundreds of pumpkins leading towards the Castle Courtyard.

There, the Courtyard will be transformed into an autumn pumpkin market, with stalls piled high with pumpkins, squashes and gourds. Big ones, small ones, traditional orange pumpkins and weird and wonderful varieties will fill the stalls, giving families plenty to choose from when finding one to take home.

Pumpkins are purchased separately, so visitors can explore the displays throughout the day before choosing their favourite.

A Castle Transformed for Autumn

For the first time, seasonal pumpkin displays will pop up throughout the Castle grounds, turning familiar Watermouth locations into brand-new autumn photo spots.

Multiple installations are being created especially for the event, all set against the unusual backdrop of Watermouth Castle and the North Devon coast. Joined by the Castle’s gardens and pumpkin-lined pathways, they will bring a spectacular splash of autumn colour to the attraction throughout October.

Trick or Treat Around the Castle

On weekends and during the school holidays, younger visitors can set off on the 'Trick or Treat Trail' around the Castle grounds.

Children will follow the trail to find characters hiding along the way, collecting a treat at each stop before earning a final reward once they have completed their quest.

Made especially for younger children, the trail is designed to be fun rather than frightening and is included with day admission on selected dates.

Families can also gather around two roasting pits to toast marshmallows over the embers, available for an additional charge.

More Than Pumpkins

Unlike a traditional pumpkin patch, Pumpkins at the Castle forms part of a full day of adventure at Watermouth Castle.

A day ticket includes access to the Castle’s rides, gardens, museums, castle curiosities, play areas and dungeons, meaning the new seasonal experience becomes part of a full day out rather than a standalone pumpkin visit.

Visitors can wander through the water gardens, explore the Castle’s unusual collection of displays and curiosities, brave the dungeons and enjoy the family rides before returning to the Courtyard to pick a pumpkin on the way home.

For families travelling from further afield, Watermouth Castle’s apartments are located within the Castle itself, offering the chance to turn an autumn day out on the North Devon coast into an overnight stay.

With pumpkins around every corner, treats to collect, marshmallows to toast and a whole Victorian castle to explore, Watermouth is preparing for its biggest autumn transformation yet.

Pumpkins Take Over Watermouth Castle, Watermouth, Ilfracombe, North Devon, EX34 9SL
26th September to 1st November 2026

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CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFORMATION & EARLY BIRD OFFERS (Pumpkins at the Castle is included with general admission).

About Watermouth Castle