Celebrating life at Barchester

Our residents always enjoy a themed day in our home and this recent themed day was no exception. Residents in the lead up to the day enjoyed colouring elephant designs and exploring Oomph activity packs. We had an African-themed water colour painting activity and explored African travel in our nursing community. 

Our staff team got involved and shared their African culture on room visits in addition to their nursing duties, so for this we are so grateful, and it is a wonderful example of the whole home approach to life enrichment, diversity and variety in activity deliverance. One of our nurses kindly shared an African dance with a bed-bound resident whilst on one of his working nights.     

We were delighted to welcome Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW to Orchard House, where our residents enjoyed meeting Cyril, Clive and Sami and learning about the amazing work therapy dogs do to bring comfort, companionship and joy to others.

We’re also incredibly excited to announce that Orchard House is now sponsoring Zara, Cyril’s sister, who is currently training to become a Therapy Dog! 

Our residents loved hearing about Zara’s journey and sharing their own memories of beloved pets.

A huge thank you to the Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW team for such a wonderful visit — and we can’t wait to have you back again for another furry visit!

Today we had two very special visitors from the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary – the lovely Daphne and Geraldine! 

There was so much excitement at Orchard House as residents, relatives and staff gathered together in our Bluebell Garden to meet, stroke and spend time with these beautiful and gentle donkeys. It was such a wonderful experience and brought so many smiles to everyone. 

We are also very excited to share that Orchard House will be adopting two donkeys from the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary this year. Our residents will have the important job of choosing which two donkeys we will support – and we will reveal their names very soon!

A huge thank you to the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary for bringing Daphne and Geraldine to visit us and for making our day so special.        

A few weeks ago, we started our very own Painting Club, led by one of our Care Practitioners, Helen, who is also a very talented amateur artist. 

She has been sharing her skills with our residents, helping and encouraging them to create their own beautiful masterpieces. We choose different themes to match the seasons, and everyone has really enjoyed seeing their paintings come to life. 
We’re even thinking about holding a little exhibition in the future to proudly display their wonderful work! 
We can’t wait to see what they create next!   

Each month, our residents have the opportunity to come together for a peaceful and meaningful time of worship in our beautiful chapel.

This month’s service was a lovely occasion, with residents joining together to sing some much-loved hymns, listen to readings from the Bible and spend time reflecting in the company of others.

Our regular chapel service provides a wonderful opportunity for fellowship, comfort and quiet moments of faith. It is a special time for residents to pause, reflect and enjoy the peaceful surroundings of our chapel.

We are delighted to be able to continue offering this monthly service, providing a welcoming space where residents can come together, share in worship and enjoy meaningful moments of connection.   

We recently brought a little bit of circus magic to our garden for a wonderful summer fête! Our residents enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon surrounded by colourful circus-themed decorations and enjoyed getting involved with a variety of garden games and photo opportunities. There was plenty of laughter and smiles as everyone got into the spirit of the occasion.

Our delicious BBQ was a real highlight, giving residents, families and loved ones the chance to enjoy some tasty food together while making the most of the sunshine and our beautiful garden.    

The afternoon was made even more special by a fantastic performance from the wonderful Brian the Pianist. His music had everyone singing along to some much-loved songs, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere.

It was lovely to welcome so many families and loved ones to join us. These special occasions provide a wonderful opportunity for everyone to spend quality time together, create happy memories and enjoy life at home.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make our Circus Summer Fête such a memorable afternoon. We are already looking forward to our next celebration!

A lovely evening was enjoyed at St Thomas Care Home as our residents came together for a relaxed and enjoyable cheese and wine tasting.

Residents had the opportunity to sample a selection of delicious cheeses, accompanied by tasty crackers and a variety of wines. It was a wonderful occasion for everyone to try something a little different, while chatting, sharing stories and enjoying each other’s company.

Our chapel provided a calm and peaceful setting for the evening, creating a lovely atmosphere for residents to sit back, relax and enjoy the experience together.

It was a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with one another, enjoy some delicious treats and make happy memories. We look forward to creating more special evenings like this for our residents to enjoy.

Sometimes we have so much fun at Mortain Place, we have to slow down and enjoy a well deserved drink. That's what our residents did whilst out and about in our activities Minibus trip to Hilliers. Such fun together and what a joy to share a moment with friends... 

From everyone at the Oxford Beaumont Care Community, we would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who joined us for our summer carnival!

We had a fantastic day, filled with delicious BBQ food, games, live music and belly dance, as well as an ice-cream van visit and a range of handcrafted stalls.

We couldn’t have done it without the support of our wonderful community, who all joined together to make the day so special.