Celebrating life at Barchester

Staff, residents, relatives and the local community came together at the home to enjoy a wonderful Christmas Fete

The biggest event highlight was the homes hair salon being transformed into a magical doorway through a cupboard into Narnia complete with Aslan, the White Witch and Mr Tumnus! In what was an enchanting edition to the days festivities.

We were delighted to welcome members of our local community into Ashchurch View for a wonderful Christmas Table Centrepieces event. The morning was filled with creativity, conversation and festive cheer as we opened our doors and shared a truly special experience together.

We were very grateful to receive a generous donation of freshly cut Christmas tree branches from The Natural Christmas Tree Co at Prestbury Farm, Huntley. These beautiful natural materials helped set the scene and inspired some stunning festive designs. We were also fortunate to have Amy from Grandma’s Garden with us, whose expertise and guidance supported everyone in creating their own unique centrepieces.

Several local ladies joined us for the event, including local councillor Dr Kate Usmar, and it was lovely to see residents, visitors and guests working side by side. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, with plenty of laughter and creativity throughout the morning.

The finished centrepieces were absolutely beautiful and some are now proudly displayed on our dining room tables for residents and visitors to enjoy throughout the festive season.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated materials, shared their time and joined us to make this event such a success. We truly value these opportunities to connect with our community and celebrate together.

One of our eldest residents in Hafan Y Coed went viral on social media after a recent outing to Brangwyn Hall. The event was a tea dance in a beautiful venue which the residents were thrilled to be invited to. In particular, one of our residents, Dennis, was the first on the dance floor as he reminisced moments of dancing with his wife. He said, “I like to imagine I’m dancing with her”. 

The moment was captured on video and shared on our Facebook platform. The post has been viewed by over 20k people. Dennis was thrilled when he was made aware of how many people had been touched by the video and became emotional as he mentioned his late life. He said: “we have always loved to dance."

Recently, our residents enjoyed a wonderfully sweet and creative activity as they became gingerbread architects and artists. The room was filled with excitement as everyone set to work designing and decorating their own gingerbread creations.

From colourful gingerbread houses to cheerful little gingerbread people, creativity flowed freely and there were smiles all around. No two creations were the same, with each one reflecting its maker’s personality and festive flair.

Along the way, there was plenty of laughter and enjoyment, and a little sneaky tasting added to the fun. The activity created a relaxed and joyful atmosphere, bringing everyone together to share in the festive spirit.

It was a truly delightful, laughter-filled experience that our residents thoroughly enjoyed and one that will be fondly remembered. 

Recently, we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming a wonderful Christmas choir into our beautiful chapel at St Thomas Care Home. The choir had been practising for weeks in preparation for their performance, and the result was truly unforgettable.

Every voice was beautiful, filling the chapel with festive cheer and creating a warm, magical atmosphere that was enjoyed by residents and staff alike. The music brought moments of reflection, joy and togetherness, making it a very special occasion for everyone present.

The choir kindly chose to raise money for our resident fund at St Thomas Care Home, as one of the performers’ beloved mothers once lived here. This made the evening even more meaningful, and we were deeply touched that they selected a cause so close to their hearts.

We are currently counting the donations and will share an update once the final amount raised is confirmed. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the wonderful performers at Soul Thirst Music for providing such a memorable and meaningful Christmas experience for our community.

There was a real sense of magic in the air at St Thomas today as our residents came together to begin decorating the home for Christmas. With sleeves rolled up and smiles all around, everyone enjoyed taking part in transforming our spaces into a festive wonderland.

Together, we hung shimmering tinsel, carefully placed colourful baubles on the Christmas trees, switched on twinkling lights and displayed our favourite festive ornaments. Each decoration added an extra sparkle and helped bring the spirit of Christmas to life.
As classic Christmas songs played in the background, there was lots of singing along, laughter and shared memories, creating a wonderfully joyful atmosphere throughout the home. Getting our residents involved in decorating brings so many meaningful benefits. It encourages creativity, sparks happy memories, supports wellbeing and, most importantly, creates a lovely sense of community and togetherness. 

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, St Thomas is now filled with festive cheer, and the excitement for the season ahead is truly building. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at St Thomas!

We went along for Christmas drinks at the sundial where our residents were thrilled to meet Santa around the Christmas tree. We were taken to the fantastic light display on the red carpet where our residents were in fine tune singing Christmas carols.

We had a lovely afternoon and were very impressed with the decorations.   

We were thrilled with this year's travelling panto northeast producers with the panto, a Christmas carol. Our residents loved the interaction with scrooge as they got involved in the production.

We sang Christmas carols at the end of the and got into the Christmas spirit with a glass of bubbly.     

Over the years, ZooLab has developed a unique approach to animal-assisted therapy, one that can be adapted to any setting. This afternoon Christmas session at Ashlar House was no exception!

We brought plenty of festive magic, with participants enjoying light, engaging stories about each animal’s natural habitat before decorating their own paper Christmas trees with themed ornaments. After completing each tree, everyone moved on to meet the next creature, creating a warm, joyful journey through nature and the season.

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone at Ashlar House for such a wonderful and memorable day!