Martello Manor Surprises Hythe Community Charity with Hampers

Martello Manor Care Home has donated two large Easter craft and art supply hampers to The Shed Hythe, a Hythe High Street charity supporting adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, as part of the home’s ongoing mission to contribute meaningfully to the wider community.

Home Manager Marlene Abreu and Admissions Manager Jude Coveney delivered the hampers unannounced to The Shed’s premises at on Hythe High Street ahead of Easter, arriving during one of the charity’s regular daytime sessions. Each hamper contained a selection of Easter crafts and art materials chosen to support the creative work The Shed’s members carry out throughout the year.

The timing proved particularly fitting. Members were in the middle of producing Easter bonnets for an upcoming parade, and the standard of work on display was striking, elaborate, individually designed creations decorated with feathers, flowers, ribbons, lace, and hand-painted detail, each one reflecting the personality and skill of its maker.

The Shed provides accredited skills training, practical workshops, and social activities for people with learning difficulties and disabilities from across the Folkestone and Hythe, Dover, and Ashford districts.

The donation follows an initial visit made by Jude Coveney in 2025, before Martello Manor had opened it’s show suite, when she first came across The Shed while introducing herself to local organisations on Hythe High Street.

Jude Coveney, Admissions Manager at Martello Manor, said “I stumbled across The Shed before we’d opened and I was genuinely taken aback by what they were doing. The energy in there, the quality of the work, the way members supported each other, it stayed with me. When we came back with the hampers, seeing those bonnets laid out, each one so carefully made and so full of personality, it was a reminder of just how much creative talent is in that room.”

Marlene Abreu, Home Manager at Martello Manor, said, “The whole room lit up when we walked in. A cheer went up straight away, big smiles all round. You could see how much it meant to have their work valued. We feel very lucky to be part of this community.”

The donation forms part of a broader community programme Martello Manor has established since opening. The home runs Gift of a Wish, a monthly initiative providing respite and meaningful experiences for local unpaid carers, and is a sponsor of both the Hythe Venetian Fete and Armed Forces Day.

Ameet Kotecha, Founder and Managing Director of Boutique Care Homes, said, “A care home should be genuinely embedded in its community, not just operating within it. The Shed is doing something important for people across this area. We’re committed to supporting the organisations that make Hythe the community it is, and this is one of many ways we intend to do that.”

Martello Manor is part of the Boutique Care Homes group, which was named Care Home Group of the Year at the National Care Awards 2025 and Residential Elderly Care Provider of the Year at the Health Investor Awards 2025.