Celebrating life at Barchester

The Shepton Mallet Ukulele Group filled Crandon Springs on Saturday afternoon with a jam-packed audience of residents, families, friends and staff, and they did not disappoint!

Their festive concert had everyone singing, swaying, clapping and shaking percussion instruments, with lots of fun all round. And when `Sweet Caroline` kicked in, well it really was “so good, so good!”

Meg, General Manager at Crandon Springs, said: “What a great time we had! The Ukulele concert was really popular, so we all squeezed in and sang along. Many thanks to this fantastic and fun group for entertaining us so enthusiastically, and bringing the music and Christmas cheer to our home once again.”

Harry was delighted to take part in making Christmas cards to raise money for our residents fund.

He carefully chose the colours for the baubles himself and painted them very carefully using a brush and bright paints.

Harry gravitated toward vivid, cheerful colours, and the result was a wonderfully colourful watercolour painting.

Throughout the activity, Harry showed great creativity, attention to detail, and impressive dexterity. It was a joy to see how confidently and enthusiastically he expressed his ideas. We’re excited to share this lovely little project as an example of his artistic skills.

Harry has agreed to continue coming to the art club and enjoy his new passion for painting. Learning new skills is something we take a great deal of pride in here at Lethen Park. 

Our resident, Patricia, has been very keen to receive a visit from the local fire brigade for her birthday. This is a service that Particia has always admired and attended charity fund-raising events for them. We would like Patricia to enjoy a dream moment at Lethen Park and feel very special.

The life enrichment team contacted the fire team at Torry fire service and invited them along for a meet and greet event with Pat. 

Patricia was delighted with this event. She was so happy that it was infectious to the whole home. Everyone was smiling. Pat enjoyed the company of three service officers from the fire station, was taken to the fire truck and also received a free hat. Pat was so very delighted to have this moment and thanked all the staff involved in making this dream moment come true.  

By staff providing a life-enrichment dream come true, we had a direct, positive impact on her health and wellbeing. 

Our residents had a wonderful time last night at the Alnwick Gardens Winter Light Show. The gardens were transformed into a sparkling winter wonderland.

We wandered through twinkling tunnels, sparkly forests, and magical light displays that made everyone feel like they’d stepped straight into a winter fairy tale.  

We are lucky enough to have a wonderful lady called Clare from Kiddley Dive, visit us every two months. Clare’s passion is working with the elderly community, and it certainly shines through when she visits.

Clare has been coming to Winchester House for about a year now, and she brings so much joy and happiness to our residents. She has got to know them all through the past year and all their names, and also what exercises they like to do and  what music they enjoy listening to. Clare certainly livens up the room as soon as she walks in, not just that, our residents smile with joy when they see her.

As we have just had our last session with Clare until the new year, we made it a very lively session, with lots of dancing and singing. All the residents, staff and families had a fantastic morning. 

Some of our lovely residents attended a local Dementia Disco event hosted by a local Theatre and, wow — they had the most amazing time! The music, the smiles, the dancing… it was pure joy from start to finish. Seeing them light up with every song was just wonderful.

Moments like these remind us why we love what we do — connection, laughter and making memories that truly matter.

Can’t wait for the next one!      

A massive thank you to Steve from Steve Drew and Son Independent Family Funeral Directors, who rolled out the red carpet this morning for Nick, his mate, and of course Mac the superstar service dog from the London Fire Brigade.

They delivered what can only be described as a five-star therapy session for our residents and staff. In our small community, word travels fast but apparently not fast enough for some of our residents, who only just realised they’d taught each other’s children at school. (Small world? Tiny!)

Neil kept the room entertained with stories that deserve their own Netflix special:
• About Frankie Warren, the pride of Islington
• That time Chris Eubank borrowed £50 and seemingly entered the Witness Protection Programme to avoid paying it back
• Michael Watson, “a true gentleman,” whom Neil treated just a month before the big fight
• His endless stream of physio referrals (because everyone knows someone with a dodgy knee)
• And how Frank Warren kept him living the high life with front-row boxing seats not a bad perk!

It was a morning filled with laughter, memories, and more plot twists than a soap opera. 

Musical sensation, Marina Mae, visited Highfield to perform a selection of vintage songs for our residents. From the roaring 1920s to the swinging 1960s, Marina Mae performed the greatest songs from past decades. Her festive outfit and stunning vocals got all our residents in the Christmas spirit!

Wishing the best of luck to Nurse Coreen on her nomination for Nurse of the Year at the Care Awards! Your dedication and compassion truly make a difference in the lives of those you care for. 

Also, a big congratulations to Raj for being nominated for Chef of the Year! Your culinary skills and creativity bring joy to so many. Both of you deserve this recognition, and we’re all cheering for you!