Chartwell House and Bromstone Primary Team Up for Halloween

Chartwell House by Boutique Care Homes, situated in Broadstairs, Kent, opened its doors to 24 pupils from Bromstone Primary School, who spent the visit making Halloween and autumn crafts alongside residents.

The children arrived in two groups of 12, with pupils from different year groups mixed together. Halloween music was already playing, and the home’s Bistro had been decorated for the occasion. Miranda Chambers, Nurture Practitioner, and Kerry Langley, Wellbeing Lead, came with the pupils from Bromstone Primary School. Natalie, Lifestyle and Wellbeing Assistant, and Jaye Hurst, Admissions Manager, hosted them for Chartwell House.

Everything on the tables was supplied by the home. Pupils and residents decorated Halloween and autumn decorations, then moved on to Halloween colouring and wordsearches, with some pupils in headbands and cat ears for the day.

For some of the children, the first challenge was simply walking in. Margot, one of the pupils, said she is “normally scared to talk to people I don’t know.” By the end of the visit, she said, she had “loved being with my friends and doing arts and crafts” and that going to Chartwell House had helped her.

Lacey felt the same way about talking to older people, saying she “wouldn’t normally speak to older people usually.” She also noticed the setting itself, calling the home “very pretty and fancy” and saying it was “really nice to go to a care home that was treated as lovely as it was.”

The welcome from residents made an impression. Amreen said the residents “were excited to see us and help us,” and that she finished the visit with “a huge smile on my face.” Isabella remembered a resident telling her they liked her colouring, which she thought was “really sweet.” Maisie, who enjoyed “getting time with my new friends,” simply said the residents were “really nice.”

Isabella also valued meeting “other people that aren’t in our school,” and said the visit left her “feeling relaxed.” Her verdict: “It was refreshing.” Margot, meanwhile, was pleased to see residents “being looked after really well and looking healthy.”

Clare Swan, Home Manager at Chartwell House, a registered nurse with more than 25 years in social care who joined the home in September 2026, said the day reflected what the team does every day.

“I’m proud of how our residents and team welcomed the children,” she said. “The warmth you saw is how we greet people at the door every day, and it was lovely to see the children feel it straight away.”

The home is already planning the next visit, as well as a visit from a students’ choir in December 2026. “The children had such a great time,” the team said, and the residents’ enthusiasm matched theirs.

For the pupils, it was a chance to talk to people they would not normally meet. For the residents, it was a busy, cheerful day with young company and a table full of colour. At Chartwell House, good care speaks for itself, and the children’s words say it better than any brochure could.