Celebrating life at Barchester

What a magical afternoon at Hunters as we were joined by the incredible Emily from Mini Concerts who performed her amazing show “Spoonful of Sugar”, an amazing tribute to the music of Julie Andrews. From Mary Poppins to The King and I and, of course, the classic sound of music, Emily had everyone singing along beautifully for a truly wonderful and sometimes emotional afternoon.

Once again, music brought us all together for a moment of joy and happiness. Thank you so much Emily, it was “practically perfect in every way!”

Happy Valentine’s Day from everyone at Hunters.

Yesterday love was in the air as we celebrated with a fantastic party. With live music from the always amazing PianoHedgehog Rob, who had us all singing along with some classic love songs. This was followed by a delicious cream tea provided by our kitchen team.

Such a great afternoon of fun, romance and yummy treats!   

We are very lucky at Hunters to have a fantastic Pets As Therapy dog called Lix that visits us regularly.
Accompanied by her lovely owner Louise, the pair have been coming to the home for a few years now and as you can see they bring smiles to everyone they meet. 

These visits are so important to our residents who love to reminisce about past pets of their own whilst meeting Lix and giving her treats for very good behaviour.  

A few pictures from our recent Country and Western party here at Hunters. Always a fun afternoon and the room was packed out with residents looking forward to hearing some of their favourite country classics. With live music from the fantastic Donna Chalcraft who performed a range of songs for our residents.

A great afternoon singing along followed by delicious tea and cake. Yee-haw!   

By taking regular feedback and requests from our residents we can enhance our life enrichment program to suit the interests of the residents.

Our Residents at Ritson Lodge visited the pub and it's actually in our home. They enjoyed a pub quiz with an Irish theme and there was a tipple or two consumed. At Ritson Lodge we have not only a pub but a dedicated Cinema Room.

At Ritson Lodge we support and encourage our residents to continue doing the things they love whilst also making new friends and exploring new adventures. 

Residents were transported back in time remembering the sweets of old, thanks to Becki who runs the old fashioned sweet shop Sweet Memories of Hadleigh, who came in to the home to sell a selection of the sweets they have at the shop.
Residents, staff and visitors welcomed the opportunity to purchase a selection of old fashioned sweets that they remembered from childhood.

It was a delight to see the memories being stirred up, discussing everyone's favourites and getting to experience the smells of sweets they had long forgotten, such as the Pontefract Cakes, which gave a glorious liquorice smell, which was divided amongst the residents and family members.

With such a selection to choose from Lemon Sherbets, Pear Drops, Mint Humbugs, Flying Saucers, Bonbons in many different flavours, Rhubarb and Custard, to name but a few, which would our residents choose? 

As residents reminisced, the activity team found information on the oldest sweet shop in the world, which is called the "Oldest Sweet Shop In The World" and after some discussion Phyliss guessed correctly that it was in Yorkshire. Reminiscing activities bring such positivity to the residents and leads on to many different avenues to discuss and compare the life from their childhoods and early adulthood, to how life is nowadays.
 

Today was a big celebration for William as he shared his birthday with family and friends in our lovely conservatory.
Lots of family joined him for his special day and he was very happy and grateful for the love and attention he received throughout the day.

He was also presented with a lovely cake made by our talented chef Jorge.

National celebrations and family-friendly events are just some of the ways that we ensure the residents at Ritson Lodge remain connected with their loved ones and the wider community. 

Our Chef decided as a special treat for all the Mother's that he would lay on an afternoon high tea. All that attended enjoyed a sumptuous array of finger sandwiches, cakes and bakes and everything was homemade.

Our Activities Team is dedicated to ensuring that we organise events that encourage our residents to host their families and friends at Ritson Lodge. Our home is always to open to loved ones who wish to take part in our life enrichment program. 
 

At Claremont this evening resident got together for a relaxed evening of art using a range of media and explored their creative side whilst enjoying a glass of sherry.

The room was filled with jolly conversations of favourite artists and whether any of us would make a fortune from our creations. The atmosphere felt warm and sociable and helped us to connect, unwind and appreciate the simple pleasure of art in good company.