Celebrating life at Barchester

Staff and residents had a fantastic time celebrating British Pie Week, a brilliant excuse to sample lots of delicious fare.

Over the course of the week, overseen by head chef Michelle, staff and residents experimented with many different types of pie fillings and flavour combinations, from more traditional meat and vegetable fillings, to vegetarian and vegan offerings, hot and spicy fillings, and sweet pies and pastries - this week has certainly been a veritable pie-filled feast!

General Manager, Ben said: “It wasn’t just the residents that were excited when we found out there was a British Pie Week, the eyes of the staff lit up too!  Everyone loves pie and our Resident Ambassador was ecstatic when she found out, she went around the home asking others what there favourite pie was.

On Saturday 28th February staff and residents dusted off their dancing shoes for the launch of our new Dementia Disco initiative.  

Knowing how much our residents love to dance, the team came up with the genius idea of a dementia-friendly disco.  They invited along members of the local community and friends of the home to the first official dementia-friendly disco which went down an absolute storm.

Building on the success, we've decided to make it a regular thing and will now be hosting monthly Dementia Discos throughout the coming year. If you and your loved ones or community group would like to attend, please contact the home to book a place, call 01323 921550 or email hazellodge@barchester.com.  The next Dementia Disco will take place on the last Saturday in March.

General Manager, Rikki-Gene Bury, commented: “The Dementia Disco is a fantastic way to connect with others in a relaxed and supportive environment.  It’s wonderful to see the power of music bring joy and reminiscence for those living with dementia, their families and caregivers.  Everyone is welcome - we’re really looking forward to making more friends in our local community. If anyone is unable to make it on the day but would like to pop in for a chat and a cup of tea, our doors are always open.”

A family member added: “We enjoyed the Dementia Disco so much and we are really looking forward to the next one!  Everyone had an amazing time and it was a wonderful and rare opportunity to turn back the clock and have some fun with our loved ones!”
 

Residents have celebrated World Book Day today, enjoying a day of fancy dress, storytelling and a special visit from local nursery Sweet Angels Childcare Services.  The home was filled with colour and creativity as the children, residents and staff dressed as their favourite book characters, sharing stories and reminiscing about beloved childhood tales.

The nursery children joined residents for a heart-warming story time session, singing, dancing and lots of bubbles. Young and old gathered together to read aloud, listen to classic stories and enjoy each other’s company. The intergenerational visit brought smiles all round, with residents delighted to see the children’s enthusiasm for books. 

Our residents were delighted to welcome members of the Pocklington Women’s Institute and Tina Hilpert from Home Instead in Beverley and Hull. 
The visiting ladies joined the residents of the home for an afternoon of sparkling fizz and delicious cream cakes. 
 

Staff and residents have recently had a brilliant time judging their very own dog photography competition. In honour of this year’s popular Crufts event, the home invited entries from residents, their families/friends, staff and members of the local community. They were delighted to receive a massive 41 entries!

The residents had a great time looking through all the photos and it allowed for some lovely reminiscing about their own family pets. The photos brought so much joy and smiles to everyone. It was concluded that all the dogs were winners really and that they were all beautiful in their own way!

It was decided to award one overall winner and also two supplementary categories (because so many entries were received!) Best Overall Photograph went to Mollie, Cutest went to Bear and Best Smile went to Murphy. The winners were delighted to receive a goodie bag and certificate in celebration of their achievements. 

We recently celebrated the birthday of our wonderful resident, Jennifer, complete with a home-made cake of her choice and gift from the Farley Gardens Family.

We hope you had a lovely day celebrating!

Residents enjoyed a heart warming afternoon of conversation, reflection and celebration as we marked International Women's Day. 

The event brought residents, guests and staff together to recognise the achievements and stories of inspiring women both past and present. 

The afternoon was extra special thanks two welcome our community members in from Crossroads Charity, Herts independent Living and community member Zoe in for the afternoon, joining the celebration and hearing stories from our residents and their achievements. 

It was a wonderful way to honour International Women's Day - bringing people together to celebrate, learn from one another and appreciate the incredible women who inspire us everyday.