Celebrating life at Barchester

We had a wholesome autumnal outing to Chilton Garden Centre as many residents at the Oxford Beaumont are keen gardeners and love exploring different places! We had a lovely morning wondering around the beautiful displays, and of course stopping off for some refreshments in their restaurant.  

Residents, staff and loved ones joined together this World Food Day to enjoy tasting the world in the comfort of our own home! Everyone was a delighted by the fantastic feast prepared by our very own team as they showed off traditional foods and flavours from around the world, whilst also embracing a range of music and dance led by the team!           

A simple video asking care home residents what they did before retirement has captured hearts around the world, with messages arriving from as far away as Germany and Canada.

Residents at Orchard House Care Home in Newport have been sharing a glimpse into their working lives as part of a reminiscence project that has attracted hundreds of reactions online. The idea behind the video was simple – each resident held up a card revealing what they did for a living before they retired. But behind each job title lies a lifetime of memories, from careers and colleagues to achievements and experiences stretching back decades.

Titled ‘What did you do before you retired?’, the video has received more than 850reactions on social media, alongside messages from people both in the UK and overseas.

The response has given residents the chance not only to look back proudly on their own working lives, but also to share their memories and experiences with a much wider audience.   

Our residents had a wonderful visit to The Donkey Sanctuary, where Orchard House proudly adopted two lovely donkeys, Eddie and Lola! 

The lovely team showed us around and introduced us to Eddie, one of our newly adopted donkeys, who was happily grazing with his friends. Sadly, Lola wasn’t feeling her best and was having a well-deserved rest, so we weren’t able to meet her this time – hopefully we will on our next visit!

Our residents were absolutely delighted with the visit and very excited that Eddie and Lola are now our adopted donkeys. 
At Orchard House, we are passionate about supporting our local community and wonderful organisations like The Donkey Sanctuary. We’re very proud to support the fantastic work they do and to welcome Eddie and Lola into our extended Orchard House family!      

The team, residents, relatives and friends were able to celebrate the evening in style with fizz, fun, laughter and celebrations of all our staff who have contributed so positively to our home. Although everybody within our team has been recognised for their dedication, commitment and compassionate care, there could only be one overall winner for the below categories nominated by the team and residents themselves! 

Carer of the year - Angie 
Registered Nurse of the Year - Emma K 
Hospitality Champion - Jenna 
Dementia Champion - Rijo 
Activities Coordinator of the year - Lewis 
Clinical Shining Star - Helen 
Non-Clinical shining star - Tina 
Community Engagement Award- Gina 
Team of the year - Bluebell Community 
Newest Stars to our Team - Dani and Lucy 
Learner of the Year - Emma F 
Manager Special Recognition Award - Kirsty 
Resident Advocate Award - Elyse 
Employee of the Month - Vicki 

What a fantastic bunch of people! Where would Laurel Bank be without you all. Every single day you guys do an amazing job. 

You all get involved in all we do so that the residents are happy and living their best life and we all have fun while doing it. You don’t get better than that.           

We had so much fun making beautiful sun catchers today! Everyone got creative, and the finished pieces are sure to brighten up the home!

Such a lovely afternoon filled with smiles, laughter and a little sparkle.