Celebrating life at Barchester

The residents and staff were treated to a truly unique experience as they invited Rebecca from ‘Sweet Memories of Hadleigh’ to their home with her pop-up sweet shop.

Rebecca transported the residents back in time with the authentic sights, smells and the old classic tastes of confectionary from the past. It was a magical journey as she weighed out the sweets meticulously with her traditional scales, selling them by the quarter for the residents. There was jar after jar of beautifully coloured old-time favourites all set out so that residents could browse.

Resident, Pam, said: “My husband and I owned a shop, this was many years ago and this has really brought back some lovely memories for me. It is the weighing out of the sweets that I remember the most and all my favourites I want are here.”

Tina, Activities Co-ordinator said, “The residents had a truly wonderful time browsing through the extensive selection of sweets and it was beautiful to see the faces of our residents as they saw their old-time favourites. One particular sweet that caught the resident’s eyes was the “Sherbet Fountain”, all the residents had a story to tell about the sweet.”

Larisa Bledea, General Manager at Elm Bank said: “It was lovely to see everyone together, and enjoying this wonderful experience that Rebecca created for our residents. It really was a journey down memory lane and it was beautiful to hear our residents reminisce about when they were younger and how they remembered all the sweets that were on display.”

In preparation for the start of our gardening club, our team members, Angela, Martin, Bernie and Nick the gardener took a some of our residents on a lovely trip to the local garden centre. 

Everyone enjoyed choosing colourful plants and seeds ready for planting, with plenty of excitement about the season ahead.

We can't wait to see how the garden will grow and florish this spring and summer!

For Animal Pet Month, we were delighted to welcome Michelle and her wonderful pet therapy session back to the home

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the animals, from cuddles with the gentle dogs and friendly cat to meeting the adorable rabbit and guinea pig. There was lots of excitement and curiosity around the gecko too, which was a big hit!
It was a lovely afternoon filled with smiles, laughter, and plenty of special moments. Thank you, Michelle, for bringing such joy to our residents

Residents at Brampton View love the animal therapy sessions that our dedicated Activities Team organises weekly and monthly. As one of the foundations of our Life Enrichment program, we know that animal therapy can help reduce blood pressure and improve overall cardiovascular health. 

This morning our residents enjoyed a wonderful trip to the town park, making the most of the fresh air and beautiful surroundings. 

There were plenty of smiles and laughter as everyone got involved in a friendly game of table tennis , a great way to stay active while having fun! 

We spent some time visiting the bird aviary, where everyone enjoyed watching the beautiful birds and taking in the peaceful atmosphere. 

During our visit, we explored a historical spot connected to a donkey from World War One  ‘Jimmy’ we spoke about him (he transported injured soldiers and boosted wartime morale)  After the war, Jimmy was bought by the RSPCA and adopted by the Peterborough branch; he helped to raise thousands of pounds in funds until his death. 

A firm favourite of our residents at Stoneham Grove, is a walk along the river at Thames Promenade in Caversham. Residents were wrapped up warm in winter coats, within the space of a few days they’re enjoying an ice cream by the river with the sun shining!! There’s nothing better than stretching your legs, and breathing in some fresh air and admiring the nature and scenic scenes.