Hanka Vlhova from Rivermede Court is crowned Activity Provider of the Year

Hanka Vlhova, Lead Wellbeing & Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Rivermede Court care home in Egham has been crowned Activity Provider of the Year in a prestigious award organised by the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA), open to care homes nationwide.

NAPA’s Margaret Butterworth Award for Activity Provider of the Year recognises an exceptional individual who consistently excels in delivering high‑quality activity provision within their care setting. The judges selected Hanka as the winner for consistently coming up with creative ideas to create meaningful and enjoyable experiences for residents, and making a significant impact to their lives, whilst also demonstrating profound compassion.

Geoff Pride, Wellbeing & Lifestyle Manager at Cinnamon Care Collection, said, “This is an outstanding achievement and a fantastic endorsement that Hanka and her team at Rivermede Court go above and beyond to create stimulating and engaging activities for our residents. Hanka’s dedication to enriching the lives of our residents makes her a shining example of excellence in our sector. The impact she has made at Rivermede Court is profound – she brings so much energy and enthusiasm to her role –   and this award is extremely well-deserved. We are immensely proud to have her as part of our team and to be setting the benchmark nationwide for activity provision for care home residents.”

Winner of the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) Awards 2026

Hanka’s work at Rivermede Court has included leading intergenerational projects, organising cultural celebrations, building partnerships with the local community, and helping residents to fulfil personal wishes. Residents have enjoyed a wide range of activities including gardening, music and art sessions, theatre visits and a trip to see Bargain Hunt being filmed.

One particularly inspiring initiative which resonated with the judges, given that the theme for this year’s awards was ‘Culture and Inspiring Others’, was Rivermede Court’s twinning with a care home in Czechia. This was organised by Hanka and her lifelong friend, Maruška Siverová, who is an activities co-ordinator in a Czech care home. Residents from the two care homes have exchanged craft ideas, sent handmake decorations and gifts to each other, learned about each other’s culture, and forged friendships.

To mark this, Hanka and Maruška proudly wore traditional national dress to the NAPA award ceremony. They ran a stand at the event to showcase their Czech cultural heritage and gave away 350 traditional Czech wedding cakes that they had personally baked, each with a different filling to symbolise unity through diversity.

Hanka Vlhova said, “I feel so honoured to have won this award. I get so much joy and personal satisfaction from seeing how much our residents enjoy the range of activities that we offer – so getting this recognition from NAPA means the world to me! The award ceremony was fantastic – made even more special by the fact that my team members, Kayleigh Mauger and Chrissie Webster, and my great friend, Maruška, attended with me, along with Geoff Pride from Cinnamon Care Collection.”