Celebrating life at Barchester

Residents from our gardening club enjoyed a day out at our local B & Q Garden centre selecting plants for our gardening club to plant in our garden. Residents loved all the different varieties to choose from our hanging baskets to bring lots of colour to our gardens. In the afternoon, residents spent time out planting, smelling all the delicious scents and getting our hands dirty. 

Betty said it is something she loved about Four Hills being able to help out in the gardens, choosing their own colours and styles of plants. This is something Betty was deeply connected to her, as her Dad was a horticulturist and she would often go to work and help him as a girl.           

Here at Four Hills, we were delighted to be on the finishing line for the fantastic Tour de Barchester. Residents enjoyed lots of exercise-themed activities throughout the week. At Arts & Crafts, we made a Well Done Team banner, local school kids took part in a designing a cycling jersey competition. Our chef made delicious themed cupcakes, and we had guess the name of the dog and a raffle to raise funds to support the Foundation. The residents and staff thought this would be a great excuse for everyone to get a bit fitter and wondered if we could match the challenge as a team. We set up an exercise bike at our front reception and residents, staff and visitors joined in. Together we managed to cycle over 230 miles. There was a great buzz in the air as everyone cheered each other on. On Friday itself, we set about decorating our gardens in Scotland and using a chequered flag to welcome the riders across the finish line with a champagne reception.  

Residents had a great time enjoying the live entertainment from Gerry singing all our Rat Pack classics, with mocktails and cocktails to wash down our delicious buffet from our kitchen team.  We were also delighted to welcome into our home some of the lovely charities in our local area that have received grants and much-needed support from The Foundation to thank the riders for their fantastic effort in supporting The Barchester Charity Foundation.   

Our residents on Memory Lane got creative making bee hotels in honour of World Bee Day.

It was a wonderful afternoon filled with creativity, conversation, and learning about the important role bees play in our environment. The finished bee hotels will help provide safe spaces for pollinators to rest and nest, supporting local wildlife while bringing plenty of colour and character to our garden.      

Our residents enjoyed sampling a variety of international treats, including German and Polish sausages, Jamaican dumplings, and delicious Sri Lankan Kokis kindly homemade by our lovely carers, Sajith and Ranjalee, which went down a treat! 

Resident Dave especially enjoyed the food so much that he came back for 3 plates! For something sweet, we tucked into French pain au chocolat, perfectly paired with wild berry kombucha, which originated in China. We also tried Spanish meats and Belgian pâté… although it’s fair to say those weren’t quite as popular!  

Alongside the celebrations, some of our residents enjoyed a relaxing flower wreath-making session for their doors, and I’m sure you’ll agree they did a fantastic job. A lovely day full of laughter, culture, conversation, and creativity for everyone involved.

Residents enjoyed a relaxing canal boat trip on The Firth Of The Clyde thanks to our friends at The Seagull Trust. We packed up our picnics and enjoyed a lovely afternoon sitting out on the deck, taking in the scenery, watching fishermen fish, cyclists and walkers on the canal path and were delighted to see lovely families of Swans and Ducks on the water.          

PJ said it was a brilliant day as he has always loved being on the water, spending lots of his youth swimming and being on boats. Margaret said it was a fantastic opportunity to get out in lovely surroundings and see all the wildlife and this is an experience she never thought she would have when she came to live in a care home. We can’t wait for our next trip.

This afternoon, we enjoyed hosting a wonderful Cinco de Mayo celebration at Fairview. Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that commemorates the victory at the Battle of Puebla and celebrates Mexican culture and heritage. Our residents had a fantastic time listening to traditional Mexican music, sampling delicious cuisine, and learning more about the vibrant traditions. 

It was lovely to see everyone smiling, joining in the fun, and fully immersing themselves in the lively atmosphere together. 

We were delighted to welcome back the Bulwell Community Choir to the home. They filled the home with joy and laughter, performing favourites such as Bob Marley’s Don’t Worry About a Thing and classic ABBA hits, which had our residents singing their hearts out.

Of course, our very own dancing queens, residents Mary and Janice, stole the show once again with their amazing moves and wonderful energy!!

A huge thank you to the choir for another fantastic evening of music and happiness.      

We aim to organise two minibus outings each week and always encourages our residents to choose where they would like to visit. Today, both Nan and Elsie said they would love a trip to a farm while the weather was so lovely. 

We decided to visit Forest Farm, where everyone enjoyed relaxing with hot drinks, pizza, and delicious ice cream. The outing was filled with laughter, great conversation, and plenty of smiles, with Elsie even entertaining everyone by singing a lovely wee song.    

Today was the day we welcomed the cyclists to Fairview House Care Home. The sun came out as the team arrived to many cheers and applause from staff and residents. The team stayed for some lunch and met with representatives from local community groups who had received grants from Barchester's Charitable Foundation to support them with their work in the community. 

Immaculate from Hand of Solace UK was presented with a cheque that will support their befriending service in Aberdeen, ensuring those most vulnerable in the community are not alone. Andrew from Great Western Community Centre was also presented with a cheque. Andrew explained how this would help to fund their coffee groups, helping to combat loneliness in the community and develop supportive networks. It was not too long before the team embarked on the next leg of their journey.