Celebrating life at Barchester

We had an incredible day at home hosting our circus-themed Summer fête this year! SASS Events entertained us with breathtaking aerial hoops, thrilling fire shows and plenty of circus skills that had everyone amazed! The house was very busy and buzzing with energy as children enjoyed trying out new circus tricks and everyone enjoyed sweet treats such as candy floss, popcorn and sweets.

Our raffle was also a massive success and, thanks to all the support from everyone, we were able to raise a staggering £661! With a small donation made to Cats Protection UK, who continue to support the home, the rest was put in our residents' fund and will continue to ensure we can keep creating meaningful moments like these for our residents. 

Staff and relatives and residents at Windmill Manor care home, in Hurst Green, Oxted, laced up their trainers and warmed-up for their annual sports day as part of Get Barchester Moving.

Staff and relatives took to their marks in the egg and spoon, Pass the hat and three-legged races as residents cheered them on. The teams battled it out to be crowned sporting champions 2026!
So much fun was had by all!

“We always encourage our residents to keep active. With summer weather being intense this year and heat warnings in place, we decided the residents would be the supporters and enjoy cold drinks and lollies under the garden parasols and cheer on their favourite team. Our residents and guests really enjoyed today, and it was lovely to see so many of them getting involved. It reminded all of us of when we were kids at school!”

Richard, a resident at Windmill Manor, said: “As a child I used to always win the egg and spoon race during our school Sports Day, and it’s great to watch others participate in this race, especially when they drop the egg.”

With the weather being so beautifully hot, we took our monthly Dementia Disco outdoors – and Steve from Retro DJ brought all the classics that our residents love! There were smiles, singing, dancing, plenty of shade and, of course…ice lollies all round!

Residents and staff enjoyed every moment soaking up the sunshine and the music together. These afternoons are what Summer is all about – joy, connection and a whole lot of fun!         

Our residents enjoyed another wonderful trip to Weymouth beach recently, and this time the sunshine truly joined us. With brighter skies and warm weather, the day brought the perfect excuse to indulge in a classic seaside treat — delicious ice creams all round.

These visits mean a lot to our residents, many of whom tell us how much they miss the coast and how special it feels to return. That’s why our goal this summer is simple: to take as many of our residents as possible to the seaside. Whether it’s Weymouth, Swanage, or another favourite spot, we want to make those wishes a reality and fill the season with fresh air, sea views, and happy memories.

Here’s to many more sunny days and sandy shoes ahead.

Staff and residents at Werrington Lodge got up close and personal with some furry friends when they had a visit from the team at Peterborough Cat Rescue.

Residents and visitors had a brilliant time petting the cats while learning about the charity Peterborough Cat Rescue and all the work they do.  They reminisced about pets and found out fascinating facts about cats and kittens.  Annabel Speechley, Unit Manager at Werrington Lodge, arranged the visit to support both the varied life enrichment programme already in place at Werrington Lodge and the great work that Peterborough Cat Rescue do in the city.            

General Manager, Nancy Simeon, said: “Our residents love animals and lots of them have owned cats in the past, so it was lovely to hear their stories about the different things their cats had got up to.”  

Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.

We took our resident Mark to the Isle of Wight for the day. The Isle of Wight holds special memories for Mark and it was wish of his to return there, so off we went taking Mark’s sister with us. We caught the ferry from Southampton to East Cowes and then headed straight to Shanklin Beach for  a picnic lunch followed by a walk along the beach. It was such a joy to be part of revisiting one of Marks favourite places and make new memories with him.

Mark said he had an absolutely wonderful day! 

As part of the BBC's Big Butterfly Count, residents and staff enjoyed taking part in the butterfly survey in our garden, where we spotted 1 Red Admiral and 6 Cabbage White butterflies, helping contribute to this nationwide citizen science project.

Our residents made the most of the beautiful weather by spending time in the garden creating a special butterfly feeding station in celebration of National Butterfly Week.

Working together, they carefully sliced a variety of fresh fruits before hanging them from the trees to help attract butterflies into our garden. It was wonderful to see so many beautiful butterflies visiting while we were creating it, making the activity even more rewarding for everyone involved.

As well as enjoying a relaxing afternoon outdoors, residents were able to support local wildlife, encourage pollinators into our garden, and appreciate the beauty of nature all around us. There were plenty of smiles, conversations, and moments of wonder as butterflies fluttered by.

A lovely afternoon celebrating nature, caring for our environment, and making our garden an even more welcoming place for Wildlife.

And our winners are … Gem Woodford crowned Activities Coordinator of the year for the South West Division and Eileen De Caen crowned Resident Ambassador of the year!!

Next stop…the nationals!

Nearly 6,000 incredibly high-standard nominations were received this year.

Gemma will join winners from across the UK at a special awards event in October to celebrate their outstanding achievements and see if they’ve won a national award.

Alina Daneţiu our Home Manager “ I am absolutely delighted to congratulate both Gemma and Eileen, on their fantastic achievements at this year’s Barchester Care Awards.

To have both our Activity Lead and our Resident Ambassador recognised as Regional Winners for the South West is an incredible honour and something we are all immensely proud of. These awards are a true reflection of the passion, dedication and positivity they bring to The Fernes every single day.

Gemma’s commitment to creating meaningful experiences, building community connections and enriching the lives of our residents is truly inspiring. Eileen has been an exceptional Resident Ambassador, warmly welcoming new residents, representing our home with pride and helping to make The Fernes such a special place to live.

On behalf of everyone at The Fernes, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to both Gemma and Eileen. Your kindness, enthusiasm and dedication make an enormous difference, and these awards are richly deserved.

We were delighted to welcome three very special young visitors to our home – the wonderful children of Becky, the physiotherapist who supports one of our lovely ladies on Memory Lane. Becky is always so kind and supportive, often joining in with our life enrichment activities, so it was such a pleasure to meet her beautiful family.

The children completely stole everyone’s hearts. They put on their very own performance for our residents, playing the violin, guitar and piano, as well as singing and dancing. Afterwards, they spent time chatting with residents, reading books together, sharing stories, and even accompanying residents back to the lounges for a drink and a friendly conversation.

Their kindness, confidence and impeccable manners were beyond their years. They brought so many smiles, sparked wonderful conversations and truly lit up our residents’ faces. The joy they shared reminded us just how powerful intergenerational connections can be.

Becky, you should be incredibly proud. You have raised three remarkable young people, and we are so grateful that you shared them with us for the afternoon. Thank you for giving our residents such a heart-warming experience and creating memories that will be treasured for a long time to come. We can’t wait to welcome you all back again soon.