Celebrating life at Barchester

Our home was filled with colour and sweet scent this week as residents enjoyed a lovely flower arranging session.

From choosing their favourite colour blooms to creating beautiful displays, it has been a wonderful opportunity to relax and be creative together one afternoon when the weather has been dreary outside. 

Residents, staff and visitors were filled with the stirring sounds of the bagpipes as they welcomed Piper Gary from the RAF Waddington Pipe & Drum Band. Gary, who has been playing the bagpipes since the age of 7, brought with him a truly incredible piece of history: his great-grandfather’s Robertson’s pipes. Crafted in 1928 sporting silver hand-engraving and ivory, these pipes have been passed down through generations and sounded absolutely beautiful.

The morning was filled with Scottish tradition as Gary led by the homes talented home chef, John, whom carried the haggis into the lounge before Gary recited the Robert Burns’ famous poem, "Address to a Haggis."

Gary’s then went on to perform 'Amazing Grace' and the 'Skye Boat Song'  One of our resident David Fair, requested 'Flower of Scotland'; the melody sparked such pride and emotion for him as he hasn’t been able to visit Scotland in some time.

Gary also gave a fascinating talk on how the bagpipes work, the chanter, reed and the bag itself and even showed us his sgian-dubh, explaining why pipers traditionally carried this hidden blade into battle.
The celebrations continued with a traditional toast with a dram of Whisky to the traditional toast of Slàinte mhath!. There was also a delicious tasting session afterwards of haggis, neeps, and tatties with homemade rich whisky cream sauce, Cranachan and shortbread.

A heartfelt thank you to resident Pat Knight’s daughter Pat, who made authentic Scottish tablet for everyone to enjoy. Pat Knight, once a highland dancer herself, posed for photos with Gary and the home’s General Manager, Elina House.

General Manager Eline House Noted “It was a jubilant, memory-filled event that brought a true taste of Scotland to our home”, all our residents have been talking about how much they enjoyed the event and many trying haggis for the very first time, some loving whilst other unsure, we cant wait to have Gary back in November for St Andrews Day”. 

We are incredibly grateful to our wonderful volunteer Jean and to Father Richard for the kindness, faith, and comfort they bring into our home. 
Jean not only lovingly leads our weekly Sunday services for our residents, but also offers ongoing emotional support and a listening ear to our staff, reminding us all that we are cared for and valued. 
Father Richard visits each month to share Holy Communion, creating deeply meaningful moments of peace and reflection. These special times are treasured by everyone in our home and are always so well attended.

We believe technology should bring people closer, not leave anyone behind.  That’s why we love helping our residents build confidence with iPads, smartphones, and staying connected to the world around them.
Meet Mary, who’s enjoying a one-to-one iPad lesson with our amazing receptionist Clara From video calls with loved ones to exploring new interests online, it’s all about learning at her own pace and having fun along the way.
A huge thank you to Clara for her patience, kindness, and encouragement — moments like these make all the difference. 
It’s never too late to learn something new! 

Recently we had the pleasure to have Dietitian Lisa Poole from Precision Dietetics to deliver a workshop having our health and wellbeing in mind.
It was great to see the interaction between Lisa and the guests. 
Thank you Lisa for your time and for sharing your knowledge with all of us. 
We look forward to having you again.

Happy National Activity Providers Week!

We’d like to take this opportunity to recognise and thank our wonderful Activity Coordinator; Katie Macey and Juliette Morris Activities assistant here at Wheatlands Care Home.

We’re proud of each and every one of our team for the unique, outstanding activities and experiences they bring to our residents every single day. They always go above and beyond their role and for this we are truly grateful.

As part of the week, our Activities Coordinators have been taking part in a whole host of events provided by NAPA, connecting and sharing ideas with teams across the country.

Special celebrations are also taking place at the home throughout the week with residents, friends and fellow colleagues.

Here at Wheatlands Care Home residents enjoy a varied activities programme each week incorporating the mind, body and soul no two days are ever the same. From person centred one to one activities tailored to the individual resident to large group activities we always pride ourselves in delivering a first class activities programme.

This afternoon residents from both our memory lane and residential unit came together for an afternoon of music. The fabulously talented Debbie sang her way through the decades whilst residents, family and friends danced and sang the afternoon away in true Wheatlands style!

Did you know it is recommended that you should review your will to provide peace of mind and security for the future and your loved ones. 

At Claremont Parkway we understand how difficult the conversations around having a will and Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) in place can be, which is why we have teamed up with the experts at Dorset and Wight to give guidance on the importance of these legal documents.

Dorset & Wight is a family firm of professional Will writers. They specialise in all aspects of Wills, Lasting Power of Attorney's, Property Protection Trusts, Asset Allocation Trusts, Estate and Inheritance Tax planning and Probate services for the private client.

Earlier this week Director; Lee Skilton at Dorset and Wight joined us to answer all the important questions; it was a great opportunity for our residents, staff and the local community to review the legacy arrangements they have in place at present, to ensure their actual wishes are respected.