Celebrating life at Barchester

The residents and staff celebrated Easter Sunday in true Glenroyd style. The home looked beautiful, decorated for this special time of year, and the sweet aroma of chocolate treats filled the air.

Our morning began with a special visit from the Easter Bunny, who delivered Easter eggs to residents throughout the home and shared plenty of Easter cheer along the way.

Later, everyone sat down to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by our wonderful catering team, featuring roast chicken followed by Easter pudding. It was enjoyed by all and set the perfect tone for the rest of the day.

In the afternoon, residents came together in the conservatory for our Easter party, where a sweet buffet and a lovely Easter cake took centre stage. We were entertained by the fantastic Steve, who’s carefully chosen music repertoire had everyone dancing, clapping and singing along. With a glass or two of wine or prosecco, there was plenty of laughter and joy as we celebrated the Easter weekend together.

Happy Easter from everyone at Glenroyd! 

Resident, Betsy had always spoken about the time she used to go to the gym and and reminisced about those days when she felt good after her visits. She said she would love to see what it’s like now so staff at the home made her wish a reality proving the old adage, it’s never too late.

Betsy has lived at  Fairview House since February 2026 and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making her dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to her, and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on Betsy’s face when her dream was realised.

Our residents thoroughly enjoyed taking part in a live virtual make-along hosted by Holly and Rafin from the V&A as part of London Fashion Week. It was a lovely opportunity to get involved in something creative and inspiring from the comfort of home, while feeling connected to a wider cultural event.

During the session, we explored the imaginative world of dessert-inspired fashion and discovered more about Marie Antoinette’s favourite sweet treats. Residents then had the chance to put their own artistic skills to the test by creating beautiful sweet still-life paintings, with everyone embracing the activity with great enthusiasm and creativity.

The afternoon also gave residents time to chat about their favourite artwork, share ideas and memories, and enjoy one another’s company over refreshments and plenty of hot cups of tea. It was a relaxed, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable experience for all involved.

We had a wonderful time. A big thank you to everyone from the V&A!

The residents enjoyed a wonderful St Patrick’s Day celebration with a special day in Ireland. It was a lovely opportunity for everyone to come together and enjoy the spirit of the occasion in true Irish style.

Our residents tucked into a delicious lunch prepared by our fantastic catering team, featuring traditional Irish stew served with colcannon. Some of our Guinness fans also enjoyed a glass of their favourite beer, while Irish music played throughout the day and helped create a warm atmosphere.

One of our care assistants, Margaret, also gave an informative and engaging talk about Ireland and its patron, St Patrick. Using fact sheets and activity books, she shared interesting information and added a personal touch by talking about her own Irish roots. Residents enjoyed reminiscing about their past trips to Ireland and sharing memories of St Patrick’s Day celebrations they had taken part in over the years.

It was a fantastic day filled with good food, fond memories, learning, and of course, a little dancing to traditional Irish folk music. We all had a wonderful time celebrating St Patrick’s Day and exploring Irish culture together.

Our home was filled with love, warmth and a wonderful sense of family as we celebrated Mother’s Day in true style.

Throughout the morning, we were reminded of the power of motherhood across the generations, and many lovely, meaningful family moments were captured during a special photoshoot. Our team worked incredibly hard to pamper our residents and give them the celebration they truly deserve. Dressed in glamorous outfits and jewellery to match, our wonderful mothers looked and felt like queens.

Each of the ladies was presented with daffodils kindly donated by Co-op Funeral Directors, who support our residents throughout the year. A massive thank you to Michelle and the wonderful team at Co-op Funeral Directors in Blackpool for helping to make the day even more special.

In the afternoon, we gathered in our beautiful conservatory, which was filled with floral touches and elegant decorations, to continue celebrating the wonderful mothers in our home. Our residents were delighted to welcome back singer Marianne, who serenaded us with a perfect repertoire especially prepared for the occasion. We also enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea, with delicious refreshments prepared by our amazing catering team. The room was full of smiles as we sang, danced and tapped along, celebrating the love, strength and warmth that mothers bring to every family.

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone in our community. Here’s to your wisdom, kindness and love.

We are happy to share that Glenroyd has been crowned the winner of the Barchester Goes Gaming Show 2025.

Throughout the year, our residents have worked incredibly hard, competing against other Barchester homes in the Barchester Goes Gaming Show, organised by the fantastic Live Virtual Events team: Brendan, Laura, Jane and Fiona.

Each month brought a new challenge, from ‘Now What I Call a Quiz’ and the ever-entertaining Barchester Bingo Bonanza, where Brendan delighted everyone with his colourful waistcoats as he called out the numbers, to the Barchester Music Quiz and the Big Barchester Quiz, where our residents put their knowledge to the test. Every session brought so much fun and friendly competition, and it was wonderful to see everyone working together so brilliantly as a team.

We celebrated all of that hard work, commitment and true Glenroyd spirit with a special award ceremony. Our residents enjoyed taking part in their favourite game from the show, Barchester Goes Gaming, led by our amazing Activities Assistant, Karen. There were plenty of refreshments to enjoy throughout the celebration, and we even raised a glass or two to mark our success.

We were also delighted to receive a £150 voucher as part of our win, which will go towards supporting life enrichment at Glenroyd. This will help us continue to provide meaningful activities, special experiences and enjoyable opportunities for our residents.

It was then time to present our residents with medals and certificates in recognition of all their hard work, knowledge and fantastic team spirit. Everyone had a wonderful time celebrating their success, with an afternoon full of fun, music and happiness.

A huge thank you to the Live Virtual Events team for creating such a welcoming space where our residents could enjoy friendly competition, make happy memories and share so many laughs along the way.

We had a wonderful time celebrating the World Book Day in true style. Everyone embraced the occasion by dressing up as favourite book characters, creating a fun celebration that was enjoyed by all.

In the morning, our weekly baking club took place, with residents rolling up their sleeves to prepare delicious fruit pies in honour of British Pie Week. They thoroughly enjoyed making these tasty treats, which were later served as refreshments for everyone to enjoy in the afternoon.

Later in the day, we were delighted to welcome the children from West Park Kindergarten, who arrived dressed as their favourite book characters. Together, we chatted about World Book Day, shared our favourite stories, and listened as residents fondly reminisced about the books they loved as children. The afternoon was filled with laughter, delicious refreshments, and even a sing-along and dance to nursery rhymes.

These intergenerational visits bring so much joy to our home, and our residents truly treasure every opportunity to share their stories with the children and wave them off before they head back to nursery.