Celebrating life at Barchester

The skies above Westergate House were lit up in a blaze of colour and cheer as residents, staff, volunteers, family and friends gathered to enjoy our annual fireworks extravaganza. 

A wonderful evening where laughter and ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ filled the air, and bursts of red, gold, blue and green danced overhead in showers of colour.  Adding to the pizazz of the night, Chef Konnie and her amazing kitchen team kept everyone well-fed with sizzling hotdogs, homemade soup and cups of hot chocolate – perfect for keeping the chill at bay. 

Residents kept snugly and warm, wrapped in blankets, and enjoyed the display with their loved ones. It was an evening of sparkle, community and joy, where smiles lit up faces as brightly as the fireworks overhead.

We enjoyed a lovely visit from the miniature donkeys for well-being. This activity is one of our favourite and really brings everyone together. 

What we love about this session is we are able to get round and see every one of our residents, especially those nursing bedbound. This is just so important to help raise a sense of self-worth for our residents.    

First-time visit to Ashlar House for The Experience duo, Jasmine & Doug, and truly, it’s in the name. The lounge was full, the room overflowing with love, laughter, hugs, and singing.

The camera was on fire, capturing so many beautiful moments. This afternoon is one Ashlar House will never forget.   

We took some of our residents to visit Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells to finish off the festive shopping. 

An early start was in order to allow our residents plenty of time to visit all the shops and have a spot of lunch. They also had plenty of time to enjoy the delight of the beautiful decorations. It was a long day out, but good fun was had by all.     

We held a lovely cheese and wine evening on New Year's Eve to celebrate. 

Once the food was eaten, staff and residents joined in the karaoke and a fun evening was had by all.   

Residents and staff  were in for a treat with a visit to the local pub to see a performance by an Elvis tribute singer. 

One of our residents here at Sycamore Grove is a lifelong fan of Elvis, so when we found out Andy T King was appearing at the Red Lion Pub as Elvis, we were determined to take her to see him. Along with her daughter and granddaughter, she had a wonderful evening, smiling and laughing the whole time. 

‘Elvis’ sang to her and even gave her a scarf to make it a memorable occasion. We thanked Andy for his kindness in making someone very happy.       

We were delighted to be part of the Wells Memory Café’s 7th birthday celebrations by providing a delicious homemade cake for their birthday party in January. Donna from the Crandon Springs kitchen team made a classic vanilla and jam sponge with buttercream icing and chocolate decoration, which was collected by Claire Chettoe, Chair of the Wells Memory Café. 

What a wonderful milestone for a truly valued community service, providing friendship, support, and meaningful connection for people living with memory loss and dementia, and those who care for them. 

We are proud to support people living with memory loss and dementia through long-term and respite residential care, alongside our wider care services and community activities, including our free Friday Fish & Chips lunch club at the end of every month for carers and their loved ones and older people who live alone (booking required 01749 685180). And fresh homemade cakes are always served in our own café!

Feel Good Friday does exactly what it says on the tin – happens every Friday and makes everyone in the home feel good! Residents all gather in our communal lounges and partake in some karaoke, dancing and drinks are served. 

Residents always look forward to ending the week and beginning the weekend in this way. We do enjoy having a theme for Feel Good Friday, so look out for upcoming events.          

Calum from Cool Creatures brings our favourite visitors to Drummond Grange. We love the variety of creatures he brings, from Tiger the rabbit to Domino the skunk. Calum takes time to chat to the residents and has built up a report with them over his time visiting, he is always making them laugh. 

Residents always ask when we are making our next visit as they want to make sure they are available to come along and mark the date in their diary.