Celebrating life at Barchester

We celebrate life through everything we do, from our thoughtful experiences and activities to our delicious food. We offer the latest technology as well as sensory engagement to nurture the wellbeing of our residents. With a wide variety of tailored activities and events we make sure our residents have the best physical, mental, spiritual and social stimulation, all bespoke to them. Take a look at what we’ve been up to…

Shawford Springs Care Home

Lavender & Lemonade

Recently our garden was filled with sunshine, laughter, and live music courtesy of singer Caryn for our Lavender & Lemonade Garden Party.
We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon sipping refreshing lemonade and tucking into delicious lavender cupcakes – the perfect summer treat.
Thank you to everyone who joined us & also to Caryn for another fantastic performance!

Sherwood Lodge Care Home

Wedding bells at Sherwood Lodge

All the staff and residents at Sherwood Lodge were delighted to celebrate our carer, Shiobhan, ahead of her wedding day. The celebration was marked with cake, gifts, a card full of heartfelt messages from all the team and the residents.

With decades of marriage experience behind them, our residents each shared a peace of marriage advice for Shiobhan, which can be summed up by loving each other, listening to each other and being patient with each other! We can all agree that that advice is perfect and timeless for any relationship.

Ashlar House Care Home

Celebrating 74 Years of Everlasting Love

Today, we had the honour of celebrating an extraordinary 74th Wedding Anniversary, a truly remarkable milestone and a beautiful reminder that love deepens and endures with the passing of time.

The happy couple raised a glass of their favourite sherry drink, sharing smiles, laughter, and a heartfelt toast to a lifetime of treasured memories and unwavering devotion.

What made the day even more magical was the presence of four generations of their family, all coming together to celebrate a love story that has stood the test of time. Watching children, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents united in love was a heart-warming sight that touched everyone in the room.

Every guest was treated to something special, with delicious fruit cake enjoyed by all, while the younger visitors delighted in stickers and sweet treats. The room was filled with music, dancing, love, kisses, warm hugs, endless laughter, and precious moments that will be remembered for years to come.

Surrounded by their loving family, dear friends, fellow residents, and our dedicated staff, the afternoon was a true celebration of love, togetherness, and community.

This was the true Ashlar way of creating moments that matter, bringing generations together, and filling hearts with joy.

Congratulations on 74 incredible years of marriage. Your love story continues to inspire us all, and it was a privilege to share such a magical day with you.

Parley Place Care Home

Special Trip

We had the absolute pleasure of taking our lovely Val on a special trip to a place she loves.

Val worked at Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre, Official Facebook Page for several years and it's a place dear to her heart. As soon as she arrived the memories came flooding back and she started sharing so many stories of her time there.

The team at the centre spent time talking with Val and walking around discussing jobs she did and remembering the monkey's she cared for with such passion and joy.

A special surprise for Val was her son meeting us there and Val was over the moon to be able to walk with her son around Monkey World as they used to!

A huge thank you to the team at Monkey World for making Val's trip so special.

The Cedars Bourne Care Home

Cedars Sprouts

Our residents and staff had a joy-filled morning with our Cedar Sprouts!

Intergenerational activities are so wonderful for us all. They promote friendship, support our community, improve confidence, and spark beautiful memories.

During the session, the home was absolutely delighted to welcome the newest member of the Cedar Sprouts: baby Miles! He completely stole the show and won himself many adoring fans amongst our residents.

Weystone Manor Care Home

Crispy Chips And Amazing Views At Newlands Corner

Some of our residents visited the famous North Downs ridge at Newlands Corner, taking in the iconic views where Agatha Christie famously disappeared in 1926. They sat on a bench with a crispy punnets of chips and had a little walk around, just lovely!

Weystone Manor Care Home

Blooming lovely day out!

Some of our residents had a wonderful morning exploring our local garden centre. They loved chatting about the different flowers and seeing the fish in the pond finishing off with a visit to the cafe!

Ouse View Care Home

Police museum

Here at Ouse View, we had the lovely David here with all the interesting facts and acquired pieces of police history, teaching our residents new things and letting them hold and feel the clothes and restraints that police used once upon a time, David even brought in a few hats and cloaks for the residents to try on.

Mobile organ by J Rymers

Our residents enjoyed a lovely afternoon listening to a mobile organ that was brought to us by J Rymers, playing some classical music, and our residents reminiscing about the simpler days. The residents were intrigued and absolutely loved the sound of the organ and enjoyed watching the little figures move with the sound of the tune.