Celebrating life at Barchester

It was a pleasure to welcome back our esteemed friend Geoff for an exceptional afternoon of musical entertainment. Geoff, being one of our cherished regular entertainers, brings as much joy to us with his performances as he derives from sharing his profound passion for music.

Our residents were thoroughly delighted by Geoff's cabaret-style entertainment. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Geoff and look forward to the opportunity of welcoming him back in the near future.

We were delighted to welcome Councillor Ray Pollard, the Deputy Mayor of Bridlington, to Mallard Court today as he joined us for a delightful afternoon tea. 

The Deputy Mayor enjoyed meeting and getting to know our residents, relatives and colleagues. 

We look forward to welcoming Ray back to our home in the future and we're very grateful for his time. 
A very special thank you goes to Gill for creating a wonderful selection of strawberry tarts and cupcakes for our guests to enjoy. 

Wow!  What a wonderful day celebrating Ron's 100th Birthday.  Lots of old friends and family joined In the celebrations.  Beautiful cake baked by Adrian our wonderful chef, washed down with a glass of bubbly. Ron enjoyed a visit from North Leeds Model plane Club which used to be his passion and not forgetting the care from HRH King Charles and HRH Camilla. 

We went off to Skegness for the day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. The journey was smooth, not too many people about, so parking was not a problem. No coats needed, just sun cream and sunglasses. We did it all, all the fun of the fair, walked around the prom, had fish and chips and then ice cream, kissed me quick hats, you name it, we did it. 

I bet everyone slept well that night in all that fresh air, but wow, what a day, the residents were still talking about it the next day. The residents enjoyed it and that’s what it’s all about ….. Watch this space. There will be many more trips out like this.

Wood Grange had the privilege of welcoming students from one of our local primary schools in Bourne. They came along and joined in our Move it Monday initiative – a day dedicated to exercise. The students were able to have meaningful interactions with the residents and encourage them to join in the exercises and games. 

This was a wonderful intergenerational activity that brought joy to our residents and the children! One of the children said “I love it here, I wish we could come here every day.” The teachers from the school later invited us to watch their dress rehearsal of the year 6 play called ‘Edith’s Wartime Scrapbook’. We are attending this on the 20th June and our residents are truly looking forward to it.

There was plenty to celebrate this week at our Glebefields care home as staff and residents came together to mark the home’s latest achievement – a 5-star Food Hygiene Rating awarded by the local authority on 14th May 2025.The achievement is the highest rating a care home can receive from an Environmental Health officer, and shows the home has complied with all the statutory obligations; showing outstanding food hygiene standards.

Benazir Shakkir General Manager at the home, said: ““After an unannounced inspection, we’re delighted to have achieved the highest possible food hygiene rating. It’s a proof to the dedication and standards upheld by Head Chef Bose Jose, Second Chef Vincent Thomas, and the entire Hospitality team. Chef Bose, who joined us in June 2022, brings extensive expertise and a relentless commitment to maintaining a clean, safe kitchen environment. Vincent, who also came on board in 2022, has consistently upheld these high standards.” Food hygiene ratings reflect how well a food business handles food, from preparation to storage, as well as cleanliness, kitchen layout, ventilation, and record-keeping.

Julie from Appoint Us Services, was welcomed back into the home with open arms and big smiles, ready for a cuddle catch up and a few treats! 

So what does PAT mean? Pets As Therapy, and when it comes to Dextar the adorable dog, he promotes loneliness reduction, a good sense of wellbeing, prompting childhood memories, and finally promoting improving mental health and physical abilities! Resident Ambassador Audrey is an advocate for animals in the home. Her wish on a star was in fact to have a Cubbington Mill pet. Resident Hazel expressed to Julie, "I don’t often smile, but this really has made me smile!" 

Julie visited residents in their rooms 1-1 where Dextar had a little nap in Mary's bed. Residents Chris and Gisela asked to keep Dextar forever! Dextar will return to us regularly and on National Days such as Animal Day in October.

The activities team at South Grange served a selection of delicious cakes especially prepared by the home’s hospitality team, including an assortment of cream cakes, tarts and some sweet pastries which were enjoyed by everyone who came to the event.

Guests included friends and family of residents, staff at the home and the volunteers from Cycling Without Age Monifieth who kindly offer their time to the home each Friday afternoon and take residents out on the trishaws around the streets of Monifieth. We also invited along our beloved therapet - Korky and owner Sandy. Even Korky got to enjoy a biscuit with everyone!
 

Imagine being a resident at Tyspane Care Home and stepping into a vibrant patch of green in the middle of your neighbourhood — rows of thriving vegetables, blooming flowers, and friendly faces exchanging gardening tips and smiles. For many, community gardens are not just about growing food; they’re about growing happiness, resilience, and connection.

Engagement in gardening activities has shown to promote social relationships, family connection, emotional and mental wellbeing, moderate stress, reduce depression and anxiety, and improve cognitive abilities. Just gardening for several hours a week provides instantaneous reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms, while gardening daily is associated with reduced stress and increased life satisfaction.

Today, residents couldn’t stop smiling as they picked fresh broad beans and mange tout from the raised beds at Tyspane Care Home. Residents chatted about the bountiful produce, and they looked forward to sampling it later.  Everyone was excited and felt proud of their achievements. Simply amazing.

Michelle (Resident) stated, “I can’t wait to cook them later; they look so fresh.”

Matt’s family and wife Barbara helped organise a big surprise 90th birthday party for Matt! We had Elvis rocking the building with all of his favourite songs. Residents were dancing and so were family members. The buffet was delicious and enjoyed by all. Matt enjoyed the company and said “you didn’t have to do all of this for me”. Matt’s family thoroughly enjoyed dancing with the residents too! Matt and Barbara danced to their favourite song. 

Thank you to everyone involved for making this special day happen!

Molly had been really excited to hear it was National cheese day. She said how she loved trying different cheeses and was really looking forward to having a lovely port and lemon.

We enjoyed a selection of cheeses, fresh bread with lashings of butter and all washed down with a port and lemonade.

We enjoyed doing a cheese quiz and just had a really enjoyable afternoon together.

Elderly women face significant mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression, often exacerbated by life transitions, hormonal changes, and social isolation.

At Tyspane Care Home, we understand that major life changes such as retirement, loss of loved ones, and the transition into widowhood can significantly impact on mental health. These transitions often lead to feelings of grief, loneliness, and social isolation. In addition, hormonal changes in the period leading up to menopause (perimenopause) can trigger or worsen depression due to hormonal fluctuations. This is particularly relevant for women in their later years.

It is therefore crucial for elderly women to have access to mental health resources, support systems and activities that improve mental wellbeing. Recognising the signs of mental health issues and seeking help from healthcare providers can lead to effective treatment and improved quality of life.

To support our female residents, Tyspane Care Home has included in their weekly activities timetable; pamper sessions, mindfulness events, garden walks, exercise classes, relaxation classes and companionship sessions. The aim is to address mental health in elderly women and create an environment of awareness that supports the unique challenges elderly women face, along with appropriate support and treatment options.

Theodore went to the park today to feed the ducks and do a run around the park.

He absolutely loved his day out and enjoyed getting the bus to Romford and can't wait to go again!

Over the last week, residents have been working on some dinosaur and prehistoric crafts, making floral-themed artwork and creating their very own fossils using seashells in honour of Dinosaur Day. 

We also watched documentaries about the amazing work archeologists have done finding and preserving bones that date to prehistoric times. It has been very interesting and great fun. Resident were also visited by some dinosaurs with big smiles and laughter throughout the home. We’ve had a great week here at Oulton Park. 

Resident, Ivy, took a trip to the Lowestoft Heritage workshop centre to go and view the beautiful model display they have of the old Beach Village where she was born and raised, which sadly no longer stands. 
This was a wonderful experience. Ivy spoke about her memories of growing up in the beach village. She was able to point out the school that she attended. 

Ivy spoke about how as a child she would climb over the empty herring barrels and get told off by the women working.  Ivy even got to see pictures of the old swimming pool that was there. She remembered talking about the pool but was told there wasn't one there. She was proven right and got to see a picture of the pool to prove it. It was wonderful to be able to see Lowestoft’s heritage and have a look back into what Lowestoft used to look like. 

Regular outings are just one aspect of our life enrichment program and all the trips we take are at the request of the residents. Our monthly activities calendar boasts a range of outings and entertainment.

This week Derham House Residents enjoyed a trip to the Zoo. A great time was had by all visiting the array of animals. After the trip they enjoyed an ice cream to cool down and end the perfect outing.

By taking regular feedback and requests from our residents we can enhance our life enrichment program to suit the interests of the residents.

One of the cornerstones of our life enrichment program is live musical entertainment. Resident involvement in choosing genres along with feedback after each performance means that we are able to constantly improve our activities calendar.

Our Residents enjoy live entertainments on a regular basis. There was singing, toe tapping, clapping and dancing to many a favourite this week.

At Derham Lodge we love opening our home up and hosting events that friends and family can join us for. Shared experiences are the best experiences and we ensure that our residents remain connected with their loved ones whilst they live with us. 

Hosting events for friends and family members to join us is an essential part of our activities program and we are always looking for new ideas to bring the wider community into our home.

Ensuring that we host events that relatives and friends can join is very important to us here at Ritson Lodge. We hold regular events including a monthly Knit and Natter, weekly Toddler Groups and a monthly Dementia Cafe.

At Ritson lodge we love provide events for our local community, friends and Residents as it make the home a place to be.

We are thrilled to share that our recent Summer Health and Wellbeing Event at Fountains was a tremendous success! Specsavers graciously attended, providing eye and ear consultations for our community and residents. It was heart-warming to see such a great turnout, with all attendees receiving their consultations and follow-up appointments arranged for further tests.

This event not only emphasized our commitment to the wellbeing of our residents but also fostered a sense of community. One of our attendees expressed that it was a wonderful idea, enjoying the opportunity to connect with others while indulging in freshly baked cakes, fresh fruit, and refreshments.

We are excited to announce that this will be a recurring event! We want to ensure that no one misses out, especially new residents and those who couldn't attend this time. 

Thank you to everyone who participated and made this event a memorable day for all!

Stay tuned for future dates, and let's continue to prioritize our health and wellbeing together! 

The Gamekeeper’s Inn

A lovely lunch at The Gamekeeper’s Inn, Long Ashes Park in Threshfield! Residents and staff admiring the views, enjoying the sun shining, chatting away, telling stories, full of laughter and loving every second of it.

The wonderful and magic effect it has on everyone when it comes to going out in our mini bus with the sun shining!

Hi, my name is Jessica and I’m a Senior Carer here at Bedewell Grange. I studied Microbiology for my BSc and later completed an MSc in International Business Management — but my heart led me in a different direction. When I moved to the UK in 2022, I discovered my true passion in caring for others, and I’ve been in the care sector ever since.

I joined Barchester in April 2024, and I honestly love what I do. Every day is a chance to connect with our residents, support them in meaningful ways, and learn something new. The team here at Bedewell Grange is incredibly supportive — it really feels like a family. I’m proud to be part of a home where kindness, respect, and compassion are at the heart of everything we do.
 

Lovely having our local community come together and join in with wishing all the wonderful fathers a very Happy Father’s Day.

Thank you to everyone who came along and helped to make it the amazing morning it was!

Thank you for the gifts and everyone looks forward to having you with us again soon!

Supporting residents to enjoy outings, shopping, meals out and other trips is a key aspect of the weekly activities calendar.

This week our Residents enjoyed an outing to the local garden centre. It was great to see relatives of the Residents join us to. Our outings are open to relatives and it is great when they come to spend time out and about with us.

Regular outings are just one aspect of our life enrichment program and all the trips we take are at the request of the residents. Our monthly activities calendar boasts a range of outings and entertainment.

We would like to thank all of our wonderful staff, whose work and dedication makes a real difference to the lives of those living in our care!

Carers Week is an annual event to raise awareness of caring, highlighting the challenges carers face and recognising the contribution they make to our residents, families and communities!

Residents, staff, and volunteers enjoyed a fantastic day out in the town centre, celebrating the much-loved annual vintage vehicle exhibition and 1940s extravaganza.

Our residents had a delightful time reminiscing as they admired a stunning collection of classic cars, vintage buses, and historic army vehicles. There were plenty of smiles as they pointed out favourites from their youth and posed for photos beside the vehicles. The mini-steam train ride was also a firm favourite!