Celebrating life at Barchester

Sunday morning saw some of our residents take a trip to church for Sunday service which they look forward to each week.

After the service they had a bit of chitchat with fellow parishioners over a cuppa and biscuits. Keeping, and making new community connections is so important for our residents continued wellbeing. 

In the afternoon they enjoyed a walk around Chacombe village where they were greeted by a few local people and their four-legged friends who stopped to introduce themselves.

Open day at Chacombe Park was wonderful. We'd like to send a big Thank You to all those who joined us to meet the manager and take a tour of our newly refurbished home.

Our guests and residents enjoyed live entertainment with singing sensation the lovely D'Artagnan with his range of musical styles that had us all up and grooving! In the afternoon they took part in a bit of archery, guided by instructor Helen from Integr8Archery. 

The residents and family members and of course our General Manager and the staff got involved with the arrows of fun!

A few of the resident's enjoyed a trip to Barn Farm Plants in Wardington. It's a wonderful garden centre with a Cafe where they enjoyed coffee and delicious cake. They also enjoyed a bit of a browse around the Antiques shop, and loved admiring the flowers whilst taking a stroll through the relaxing aroma of all the beautiful lavender plants

The residents in our home today were treated to a bit of animal therapy with Herbie the dog. 

He visited residents in their rooms and around the home, he loves all the attention and brought so much joy to the residents. Margaret said Herbie had made her day!

Residents enjoyed time at Blackbrook Farm recently, where they enjoyed time at the new Farmhouse Restaurant. They enjoyed cappuccino, tea and milkshakes. After enjoying the beverages, we were given a guided tour by the lovely Elizabeth, who took us around the farm where we spent time looking at pigs, pygmy goats, alpacas, peacocks, and chickens.

The residents were delighted when they got to hand-feed the alpacas and pigs! The café has only recently opened, and it was wonderful to be able to spend time outside at this wonderful farm and enjoy the sunshine.

We can’t wait to visit again with more residents and enjoy the outdoors, time with animals, and sensory opportunities, with this beautiful destination that is almost on our doorstep!  

Some residents here at Woodland View took part in the Colchester Carnival Parade, alongside our regular external activity provider, Annie Vasconcelos, who is the Principal of Jesters Theatre Academy.

Residents joined in with the fun, bright and upbeat procession alongside the children of Jesters Theatre Academy. Even the rain couldn’t dampen everyone’s spirits! It was such a lovely afternoon, and residents loved singing along to music we have regularly here during our ‘Active Broadway’ sessions. We even made the local newspaper! Our residents commented, “This is something I never thought I would do in my lifetime!”

We had an absolute blast — the fabulous Madame kept us all singing, laughing, and letting loose with a few cheeky games of bingo! The energy was high, the smiles were endless, and the room was full of joy. 

Most importantly, together we raised funds for Breast Cancer Kent, supporting the incredible work they do. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us — your generosity and good spirits made the day so special.