Celebrating life at Barchester

We’d like to say a huge thank you to the team at St. Matthew’s Church in Otterbourne for inviting us to their wonderful Harvest Festival service for care homes and senior citizens 

We all had a lovely time celebrating together, and the performance by the children of Otterbourne School was a particularly special treat!

We have recently rounded off our Kirkburn summer and welcomed autumn with our annual beach party. Staff and residents had great fun trying out the limbo as well as a few games of beach volleyball. Our signature ‘Kirkburn Kolada’ cocktails were flowing and, of course, the sunglasses and florals were out in full force! There wasn’t much in the way of sunshine outside, but we had a blistering time inside!        

Of course, no party is complete without a Kirkburn conga in the lobby either! Everyone had a great time.  

We have recently held our annual ‘Kirkburn Working Week – Residents Takeover’ here at Kirkburn Court. During the week, our residents and staff worked very closely in order to complete all the various jobs needed in order to keep Kirkburn going. 

It was great to see everyone mucking in! We had Mabel doing the tea trolley, Mary working on reception, Pam working in the garden and Tommy cleaning the Kirkburn bus to name a few! There was lots of hard work but also lots of fun too and negotiations are still ongoing regarding wages! Please visit our Facebook page to view a video of all our highlights of this great week.  

Our residents had a wonderful time, in honour of the Last night of The Proms concert. With a fantastically put together performance from performer Fiona Harrison, who always looks the part in her vibrant costumes!

So many residents have been too, or remember watching this annual concert throughout their lives. 
With flags, classic songs and a real sense of home, it was certainly another memorable afternoon where memories were made!     

It is always important to come together and celebrate different cultures and beliefs.

This time honouring our Jewish family, we had an intimate gathering, led brilliantly by one of our independent-living residents. 

Learning of the traditions and importance of this significant time, we celebrated the occasion with delicious sweet treats, apples coated in honey and traditional Jewish bread. 

Lighting the candles and saying traditional prayer was a special way for our Jewish residents to feel meaning and independence at this special time in the Jewish calendar.