Celebrating life at Barchester

Our residents at Cadbury Hall thoroughly enjoyed the experience of an afternoon Valentine’s Day tea in the comfort of their home in our main dining room.
Residents were greeted with Valentine’s Day decor changing up the scenery of the dining room; as well as enjoying a tower filled with different with sandwiches that had many different fillings and sweet treats for dessert. Prepared by our Head Chef, Paul, who takes great pride in his work and presentation to enhance the experience of every resident in the home. 
Residents also enjoyed a wonderful atmosphere of music, a friendly and warm company amongst each other and lots of conversations. 
At Cadbury, days like these are part of every day life - meaningful moments, thoughtful touches and a real sense of community. 

Last weekend residents at Cadbury Hall enjoyed a relaxing and creative watercolour painting session. The afternoon provided a wonderful opportunity for everyone to unwind and express themselves through colour, brushstrokes, and imagination. It was lovely to see residents experimenting with different techniques, blending shades and bringing their own unique ideas to life on paper. 

Activities like these are not only calming but also a great way to encourage creativity and conversation.
A lovely afternoon filled with smiles, focus and a real sense of achievement as each piece of artwork began to take shape.

Spending time being creative together also sparked plenty of reminiscing and storytelling, making the session as social as it was artistic. By the end of the afternoon residents proudly shared their finished paintings, each one as individual as the artist behind it. 

A huge well done to our talented residents for their beautiful creations and thank you to watercolour artist Chrissie for visiting us and inspiring with her guidance and encouragement.

The residents at White Lodge spent a delightful afternoon with their loved ones enjoying a relaxing and creative painting session led by Deepti Arora 
A professional artist, Deepti guided everyone through simple yet highly effective techniques to help them create a beautiful landscape masterpiece. Her step-by-step approach made the session accessible, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable for all skill levels.
Residents found the experience both stimulating and rewarding as they followed Deepti’s instructions and watched their paintings come to life. One resident, who paints as a hobby, shared that he learned some very effective techniques that he is excited to incorporate into his future artwork.
It was truly a wonderful afternoon filled with creativity, connection, and joy and we look forward to many more inspiring painting sessions ahead!

The residents at White Lodge took on a wonderful community project, creating packs of sweets and roses to share with the local community.
They visited the high street in Royal Wootton Bassett to hand them out as a simple act of kindness. It was especially lovely for the residents to bump into old friends along the way.
Our volunteer Jenny also joined us to help share the sweet treats, making the day even more special.
We received such a warm and heartfelt welcome from the Royal Wootton Bassett community. it truly meant so much to everyone involved.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

The residents in Memory Lane Community at our home had a special day during their reborn doll therapy session, when we invited a reborn dolls company K.H Reborn Events and Hire. 
The dolls are highly realistic, creating a meaningful and comforting experience that closely resembles holding a real baby. Residents gently cradled, rocked, and spoke to the dolls, naturally engaging in nurturing behaviours.
The room was calm and relaxed as one of the residents softly sang a lullaby to help the “baby” fall asleep. The atmosphere was filled with warmth, tenderness, and a sense of purpose.
Reborn doll therapy offers many benefits for individuals living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. It can help reduce anxiety, agitation, and restlessness by providing comfort and emotional reassurance.

Our Valentine’s Celebrations started with our residents who enjoyed a wonderful afternoon filled with laughter, music, cake, and beautifully decorated spaces. Thank you to Natalie who provided us all with songs appropriate to the occasion! 

We also hosted a Valentine’s High Tea and invited our local community to celebrate with us. It was a lovely reminder that Valentine’s is all about connection, kindness, and feeling appreciated. A huge thank you to our Resident Ambassador, Barbara Parker who welcomed and seated all our guests! 

A big thank you to our amazing team and especially Abi from Activities for making the celebrations so special, and to everyone who helped spread the love. 

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us!

 

One of our housekeepers has received a prestigious Long Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 10 years.

Darron, now Housekeeper, started at Barchester in January 2016 and has worked with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years.

Kathryn, General Manager said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating 10 years of loyal service with Leeming Bar Grange. He has demonstrated his dedication and loyalty to this home and its residents year after year. I speak for all of us here at Leeming Bar Grange Care Home when I say that I’m looking forward to many more years of working with Darron!

Our General Manager, Lisa has received a prestigious 10 Year Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 10 years, alongside our Care Assistant, Editha who has worked at North Park for 15 years.

Lisa now General Manager started at Barchester in January 2016 and Editha MacDonald, Care Assistant started in 2011 have both have worked with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years. 

Overseen by head chef, staff and residents experimented with many different types of toppings and flavour combinations - from the exotic, to the classic and everything in between! Some people controversially added pineapple, others preferred spicier options, and some stuck to a good old Margherita. 

Many people tried a folded Calzone pizza for the first time or branched out with a creamy base instead of tomato, everyone ate their fill and declared National Pizza Day a triumph!