Activities at Appletree Grange Care Home
Our Activities Coordinator is constantly arranging new activities to stimulate and catch the imagination of our residents. From visiting entertainers to a regular craft table to outings on the minibus, there is always something for our residents to keep them entertained. Our Activities Coordinator also takes the time to sit with each resident and go through a life history so they get to know what the likes and dislikes of each individual are and can tailor the activities to suit them. A monthly residents meeting is held to get the views of the residents and to get suggestions from them and their families about what they would like to do and everything that can be done to accommodate their requests is done.
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
Activities and Events Partnerships
As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies
Life at Appletree Grange Care Home
Residents get festive!
Staff and residents at Barchester’s Appletree Grange care home, in Chester-le-Street, have been decking the halls, getting out the tinsel and unravelling the fairy lights, ready for a whole host of Christmas celebrations. Appletree Grange residents and staff have been busy creating lots of home-made bunting and garlands to make the home as festive as can be. The residents have also been crafting home-made decorations for the Christmas tree which they all helped to decorate, the tree is looking truly magnificent covered in beautiful Christmas lights, bows and candy canes!
General Manager, Trudi Gilliespie said: “Christmas is such a magical time and our residents love nothing better than to spend time creating decorations for the home and then we all help to put them up together. It is so special to be able to share these rituals and we all love to see the home decorated and filled with twinkly lights.”
Remembrance
Remembrance Sunday is a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. During the day, our residents enjoyed putting a remembrance display together, with their own handmade wreaths and poppies, which turned out beautifully.
We enjoyed a special church service to honour veterans and armed forces members who have died in the line of duty and we read some war poems. It was a lovely day of remembrance, enjoyed by all.
Spooktacular Halloween Party
Here at Appletree Grange we got into the spooky Halloween spirit of things by creating an autumnal display with painted and carved pumpkins, flowers and wreaths. We hosted a fun-filled party in the afternoon with delicious Halloween inspired treats, mocktails and themed music with live entertainment. Some of our residents preferred to paint and decorate pumpkins whilst colleagues dressed up for the occasion, others got involved in themed quizzes and games, and enjoyed watching Halloween films.
We all had a spooktacular time. To find out more about life at Appletree Grange, please visit our website: www.barchester.com/home/appletree-grange-care-home
Residents celebrate wedding anniversary
A couple from Appletree Grange care home have celebrated 59 years of marriage. Ann and Peter celebrated their special anniversary with staff and residents, and were presented with flowers and chocolates before enjoying delicious treats at a specially prepared tea party.
General Manager, Trudi Gilliespie said: “We have had such a lovely day celebrating Ann and Peter’s anniversary. It’s so wonderful to see two people still very much in love after all these years!”
History of Botanical garden
Our homes enjoyed a wonderful virtual tour of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh with Community Engagement Manager, Charlotte Walker, and Botanic Cottage Operations Co-ordinator, Laura Gallagher.
The residents were thrilled to learn more about the history of the beautiful Garden, which is now a home to an impressive plant collection from around the world.
Charlotte and Laura also gave a demonstration of making fresh herbal tea and were happy to answer our questions. The virtual experience was truly enjoyed by all who joined.
In memory of Her Majesty
In honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we took the time to commemorate her and pay our tributes to the Royal Family.
In loving memory of the Queen, we worked hard to create our own memorial area with photos of the Queen, where staff, residents, families and friends could view anytime, along with condolences messages and memory notes in our book of condolences, which was signed by residents, staff and families alike.
For many of our residents, the Queen represented comfort, hope and peace over the past seven decades of her sovereignty, and she will be sorely missed.
