A HAMPSHIRE care home held a surprise Country and Western-style party to welcome its long-standing manager back from maternity leave.

Rebecca Hannam was greeted with a side-slapping yee-haw” chorus by residents, staff and friends at the Kingfishers complex in The Meadows, New Milton.

The happy hoedown featured a barn dance and barbecue with live music from country singer Danny Stone.

Partygoers dressed up in cowboy gear and enjoyed refreshments in a temporary “saloon”.

Chefs at the home presented Rebecca with a special celebratory cake to share with the guests, which included the town mayor, Cllr David Hawkins.

Rebecca, the proud mum of baby girl, said she was bowled over by the welcome.

“It was a complete surprise and I thank everyone involved. It was a great opportunity to catch up with all the residents and our wider community friends,” she said.

Activity Organiser Carlie Nicholas added: “Rebecca has been manager ever since Kingfishers opened in 2009 and we wanted to give her a big welcome back. Everyone was so happy to see her again.”

Colleague Ellie Peters agreed, saying: “Our residents really love country music and the whole event went down extremely well.”

Rebecca thanked acting managers Barbara Harris and Lucy Yao, who ran the home while she was on leave. “They did a fantastic job,” she said.

Earlier this year Kingfishers was rated “outstanding” by Care Quality Commission and a separate accreditation award under the national Gold Standard Framework.

It is one of 19 homes run by the family-owned Colten Care, which is based in Lymington.