The importance of a healthy diet has been highlighted by Royal Star & Garter during Nutrition & Hydration Week.

Residents at the charity’s three Homes took part in cooking activities, taste tests and tucked into yummy foods, snacks and drinks, as part of Nutrition & Hydration Week, which took place between 11 and 17 March.

Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia, from Homes in Solihull, Surbiton and High Wycombe. The charity has also launched new services reaching out into the community.

Among the activities which took place in High Wycombe was a taste test, with veterans sampling exotic foods and fruits from around the world, including sushi, rambutan, yellow pitahaya (dragon fruit), physalis, tamarillo and papaya.

One of the Nutrition & Hydration Week activities in Solihull saw residents make up fruit kebabs using raspberries, grapes, strawberries, melon, kiwi and banana. They also enjoyed delicious and healthy smoothies.

In Surbiton, the Home threw a Global Tea Party as part of Nutrition & Hydration Week. Residents and staff were inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and recreated the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, complete with live musical entertainment.

‘Crucial in supporting the health of people’

Shirley Hall, Director of Care & Wellbeing at Royal Star & Garter, said: “A good diet and hydration are crucial in supporting the health of people. It can strengthen the immune system, prevent disease, improve brain health and cognitive functions and boost energy levels. It is an important part of our care, and I’m glad to see events like Nutrition & Hydration Week highlighting this.”

Royal Star & Garter is welcoming new residents. For more information on this, or to work for the charity, go to www.starandgarter.org