A hand rummages in the hat, plucks out a piece of paper and then another! The names on each are read aloud, you look across the room in glee as your eyes lock with your Valentine's Day match.

It's this random Russian roulette style of pairing that The Bayview retirement village do to bring a bit of fun to residents on Valentine's Day.

Something different

Each year the village does something different to make residents feel included and special on this annual February celebration.

'The concept that we have put together this year is to involve the entire village and therefore not exclude anyone that isn't in a couple relationship,” says village services co-ordinator Pam Billington.

'What we're going to do on this particular day is we're going draw a name out and residents are not going to know who they're paired with.” It could be a Bill, Jill or a Phil – who knows! 'If you just restrict Valentine's Day for couples then there's a whole gap of people that tend to miss out on the day – so that's why we thought we'd do it like this so everyone can get involved.”

Pam thinks that it's nice to celebrate Valentine's Day for people who may have lost their partners, but also it's just nice for anyone. 'I don't think Valentine's Day is just necessarily for couples. I think it's also something about friendship, support, celebrating love, being cherished and being together.”

Dine together

Valentine matches at Bayview will dine together to enjoy a scrumptious themed lunch – made with love of course by Bayview's innovative chef Andrew Fletcher.

The Bayview team will spread the warm fuzzies by decking out the dining area with red balloons and red themed table dressings. 'We definitely go all out! The residents are all full of fun, laughter, and life and will embrace the themed Valentine's Day with such delight.”