Celebrating life at Barchester

Local Shropshire artist, Catherine Downes, has kindly donated a selection of her wonderful art work to Cuan Wildlife Rescue and Severn Hospice. To celebrate the launch of an upcoming exhibition and auction, Wheatlands Care Home, where Catherine is a resident, hosted a launch party, displaying some of Catherine’s work.  

Everyone enjoyed beautiful canapés and a glass of fizz, whilst enjoying talking about the art work.  

Wheatlands invites you to view the display until 12th March, after which the whole collection will be transported to Halls Fine Art in Shrewsbury, who will be preparing for an auction of paintings in April - further details to be announced.  

Such a fabulous morning here at Wheatlands Care Home we woke up to beautiful blue sky's and the sun shining which put us all in a fabulous mood. 

Residents from both our residential and memory lane units enjoyed a 1 hour exercise class taken by the wonderful Shelia. Her exercise class is like no other rom the hokey to the hand jive and everything inbetween! with a fantastic sound track we not only had a good workout but a sing-song as well in true Wheatlands style! 

The smiles on everyone's face said it all.

Our hearts are full after a very special World Book Day! We were delighted to welcome the wonderful students from Upshire School, who visited us dressed as their favorite characters to share stories and smiles with our residents.

As if that wasn’t enough magic, we also had a very special visit from Performing Pets who bought along some gorgeous baby chicks. There’s nothing quite like the therapeutic joy of holding a tiny chick or sharing a story with a new friend. Seeing the generations come together today was truly priceless.

A huge thank you to Upshire School and our performing pets for making today so memorable!

Everyone here at Chacombe Park Care Home would like to wish the lovely Kath a very happy birthday. We hope you have a wonderful day filled with smiles, laughter, and lots of birthday treats.

Every Thursday we enjoy a trip to Brackley to visit the dementia-friendly choir at Winchester House School. 

This week our residents had a lovely time joining in with the sing-song, sharing smiles, and enjoying some tea, coffee, and delicious sandwiches and cakes afterwards. 

It was also World Book Day yesterday introducing more fun to the choir. The children were all dressed up as their favourite book characters and the Headmistress was dressed as her childhood book hero, Pippi Longstocking, which brought plenty of smiles and conversation! It was such a joyful morning filled with music, laughter, and great company. 

Following a fun armchair fitness session with the wonderful Tom from Gfitness our residents joined us for today’s Healthy Heart Awareness event. General Manager Joanna opened with a talk on the facts about the importance of keeping our hearts healthy through regular exercise and eating the right food-stuffs. She spoke about the primary function of the heart and the major risk factors for heart disease, giving everyone the myths, and facts on maintaining a healthy heart at any age.

Deputy Manager Chloe provided blood pressure tests and our Customer Relationship Manager; Samantha created nutrition rich natural yogurt smoothies full of heart healthy fruits including avocado and spinach leaves… a combination chosen by our residents, which after blending tasted delicious!

Guests had the opportunity to try a variety of fresh fruits including strawberries, blueberries, watermelon and blackberries. Chef prepared cucumber and pepper sticks for dipping in the low-fat tzatziki and hummus dips alongside rice crackers which went down a treat during the Heart Healthy Quiz. Residents and guests found the session really helpful and enjoyed learning more about looking after their heart health. 

Noelle said it was a very good day, she really enjoys our get-togethers and loved the strawberries! Phyllis loved the bubble tea and pieces of dark chocolate (honestly its heart friendly). Marigold mentioned she’d had a very good time and enjoyed listening to the talk. Anne said she enjoyed the whole session saying it was ‘learning with a purpose’ and Patricia commented her favourite part was all the avocado as she loves it!

Did you know that the first Friday in March every year is known as ‘Employee Appreciation Day’?

It serves as a reminder that saying "thank you" is not just polite, but powerful! The day is a chance to show appreciation for employees beyond pay and perks. Today home manager Joanna treated her hard-working team to delicious range of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Doughnuts are more than just a sweet indulgence - they are a symbol of happiness, community, and the simple joys in life!
Their round shape, often associated with unity and continuity makes them the perfect treat that symbolises the togetherness of the Claremont Parkway team

We were delighted to host the launch of a new book by one of our short stay respite residents. A writing journey which took over a several decades of discovery and devotion, culminated in the publication of a powerful new book. For the Love of Sarah tells the true story of Sarah Ellis, a late 18th-century woman whose life was uncovered through handwritten journals found by Roy Palmer in 1989 while working in property probate in London.

With the support of his wife Evelyn, Roy spent decades researching, transcribing and tracing Sarah’s journeys around Britain, turning her story into a book with the help of a ghost writer and encouragement from academic circles, including interest from Oxford University. Rob Hobbs said: "It has been an absolute pleasure to have Roy with us at Mortain Place, Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne on a respite stay with us recently.”

"His life story is fascinating and hearing how For the Love of Sarah came to be is truly inspiring for both residents and staff. Roy made quite a following here and everyone wanted to hear more about Sarah and his incredible journey bringing her story back to life. We are so proud to see his book published and to have been part of this special chapter of his life."

Roy recently spent time on respite at Mortain Place Care Home, where he became a well-liked member of the community and shared his story with fellow residents and staff. He described Sarah Ellis as having become "almost like family," and said his motivation was to "do justice" to her life by bringing her voice back to life.

For the Love of Sarah is a testament to perseverance, partnership and the enduring power of love across centuries.