Celebrating life at Barchester

Our residents were treated to a wonderfully entertaining visit from Bubbly Heaven, who transformed our home into a world of bubbles! From tiny bubbles floating through the air to spectacular giant creations, residents watched in amazement as the bubble show unfolded.

The visit was organised to bring something different to our residents, providing sensory stimulation while encouraging interaction, laughter and shared enjoyment. There were smiles all around as residents reached out to catch the bubbles and marvelled at the different shapes and sizes.

It was wonderful to see the reactions on residents’ faces and hear laughter around the room. A simple bubble brought out a real sense of fun and wonder, proving you’re never too old for a little bit of bubbly magic!   

Residents have been spending the afternoon developing their artistic talents with Lucy from Creative Minds. 

The residents spent time learning how to make seasonal panels using pastels and paint. Their pictures turned out beautifully and depict the changing of the seasons on a tree.  Our residents thoroughly enjoy taking part in arts and crafts at the home. 

We held a party to celebrate our good CQC result. 50s was the theme and our hospitality team treated us all to a wonderful BBQ. We even had a candy floss machine and a coconut shy. 

The afternoon finished with a singer entertaining us all, we all joined in singing and dancing. It was lovely to enjoy this with friends and family and three of our local sister homes.

As summer began to come to an end, we squeezed in one last high-energy beat of music! p Creating joyful moments, sharing laughter, and making memories for everyone to enjoy, including our wonderful Showaround visitors. 

A day filled with music, fun, and unforgettable summer vibes!   

We were lucky enough to book the Wish List Bikers Charity, which meant we could fulfil a wish from our resident, Mary.
Once upon a time, a lady called Mary once said, "I’d love to ride a motorbike again"...and as she was living with us at The Warren . . . She did, in the end!!! We made it happen for her and many others too.

Well done our little hellraisers Rosemary, Peter, Margaret, June, Paul, Lionel, David, Margaret, Shirley and last but not least. Mary, who made it all happen.

This was the best, with whizzing around the roundabouts to cruising down the NDR to enjoying the woodland drive down Blue Boar lane, we had the best time.Our residents were super brave and with our oldest rider being 98...they all love living their best lives AGAIN!! 

We also fulfilled a wish from Norman to see his son's new home and garden, it was such a wonderful day and on leaving, his daughter-in-law said, “Thank you, you have made his day”.  We love it that we can make our resident’s wishes come true. 

We have been celebrating Housekeeping Week, which takes place from September 13-19. Residents wanted to thank all the wonderful housekeeping staff at the home, whose hard work and dedication make a real difference to the lives of those living there. Housekeeping Week is an annual event held every year during September.  

The week is dedicated to recognising the efforts of hard-working housekeeping staff around the world.  Our wonderful housekeeping team were treated to an afternoon tea in our dining room.  Head chef Dirk had put together a wonderful spread for everyone to enjoy.  

What a performance we had!!! Heidi from Joyfonia and her amazing "Songs of Marilyn show".  

She looked stunning, her voice was amazing and her performance was just perfect. The residents really enjoyed it so much and we're singing along and having a seated dance where they could. She also did a Blonde Bombshell set where she sung Madonna, Britney Spears, Blonde too, wow just wow.  

These relaxed and friendly lunches provide residents and their peers with an opportunity to spend time with the management team, share their views, talk about their experiences and contribute ideas about life at Ashlar House.

For residents, it is a chance to feel heard, valued and involved. For managers, it provides an opportunity to listen directly to residents, understand their experiences and work together to make positive improvements.

We look forward to continuing these lunches and creating more opportunities for meaningful conversations, stronger relationships and shared experiences.           

We always try to make sure they have a good variety of musical styles to suit their different tastes. In September alone we’ve heard violinists, vintage male and female singers, piano players, guitarists, opera singers and our lovely harpist, Margaret, pictured here. She is wonderfully talented, always chatty and friendly with the residents and, as she’s been coming to entertain residents here for 25 years, she’s part of the family!