Activities at Bloomfield Care Centre

Our residents have enjoyed lots of trips out this summer in the wonderful weather we have been having. Highlights include visiting the RSPB Nature Reserve at Ham Wall and enjoying the nature a wonder around and, of course, ice-cream. We also planned a trip to Clarks Village,

The question was … Where do you want to go? The answer is M & S! That was the request, so an afternoon trip was arranged to Clarks village.

Clothes were tried on, perfume was sprayed, an essential visit to the chocolate shop, lots of browsing, and we all enjoyed the bustle and life of the shopping centre. Of course, an essential break for cups of tea and coffee. One of our resident’s families met us there, much to her delight.

We always love to try and meet residents wishes it was a delight to be able to meet the challenge.

We also had a lovely afternoon trip to the Lavender Farm in Faulkland. Residents had a wonderful time exploring the beautiful gardens, taking in the gorgeous lavender and having a look around the shop. No trip would be complete without a delicious cup of tea and a refreshing ice cream!

Our home was filled with music, laughter, and smiles as residents, their families, friends, and members of our local community came together for a wonderful afternoon celebrating the swinging sixties.
Everyone enjoyed a delicious buffet prepared by our amazing kitchen team before singing and dancing the afternoon away to the brilliant entertainment from our favourite duo, Tracey and John, who had everyone joining in with the classic hits.
A huge congratulations to our lovely housekeeper, Claire, who was crowned our Best Dressed winner.

We kick-started our Get Barchester Moving campaign with a wonderful walk along the Green Way in Radstock and through the Five Arches. Our residents thoroughly enjoyed getting out into the fresh air, listening to the birds singing, admiring the beautiful trees, and spending time together in nature.

It was a lovely way to stay active, boost our wellbeing, and appreciate the simple pleasures of the outdoors. 

We invited everyone to make donations towards the Barchester foundation and guess how many minutes of movement our residents will make collaboratively for the week to be in with a chance of winning a £10 voucher.

What a great fun-filled afternoon everyone was. Families enjoyed spending time together, making wonderful memories, and enjoying the BBQ. It was a lovely day filled with laughter, fun, and good company. 

Our residents thoroughly enjoyed being part of the day, helping out with the games, tombola, lucky dip, and cake sale the guess the weight of the cake competition. It was wonderful to see everyone getting involved and having such a fantastic time together.

We raised £279:00 and split the proceeds between the Barchester's Charitable Foundation and the residents’ fund. We’re grateful  to everyone who came along and supported the event and the staff who made it all possible.

We had such a special day celebrating Enid’s incredible 105th birthday. It was wonderful to see friends and family come together, filling the room with love, laughter, and cherished memories. 

Her daughter and grandson flew over from Canada to be with her, and we really enjoyed hearing the stories about her incredible globetrotting life, sharing smiles, and marking such an amazing milestone made it a day to remember. 105 amazing years what a truly inspiring life.         

Our residents enjoyed a wonderful holiday at home with a vibrant celebration of ‘A taste Latin America’.

The atmosphere was filled with lively music from Trio Paradis, while residents enjoyed delicious tacos, tortillas and tasty dips, along with refreshing cocktails and dancing.

Everyone received their very own boarding pass, and our air hostess welcomed everyone aboard, making the experience feel just like a real journey.

It was a fun-filled afternoon of music, dancing, delicious food and wonderful memories for our residents.  

At Barchester homes we have resident ambassadors. They have various roles they can take on within the home.  Jean one of our resident ambassadors joined our Fire Marshall training to see what staff are taught to keep residents safe during a fire. She reflected on how different it was to when she worked in a school. I think she’ll be spotting green lights from fire lights and fire break doors everywhere now. It was nice to hear about the job fire break doors do and how the building is evacuated from around the fire first, to behind the fire break doors and not a total evacuation straight away.

What a fantastic day we had at our Hawaiian-themed afternoon and BBQ! 

We were delighted to welcome the fantastic Westfield Voices Choir, who came dressed for the occasion and treated everyone to a wonderful performance. Residents and their families thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment, singing along and soaking up the tropical atmosphere.

To finish off the afternoon, everyone got involved in some hula dancing, with residents, families, and staff joining in the fun! 

A huge thank you to the wonderful ladies who generously gave up their time to perform the beautiful hula dancing. Your enthusiasm and energy made the afternoon even more special, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed watching and joining in.

Thank you also to the Westfield Voices Choir and everyone who helped make the day such a success. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces and create more happy memories together.

Residents enjoyed a lovely afternoon celebrating National Beer Day in the garden. The weather was wonderful so we seized the opportunity to get outside. With the sun shining, there was no better way to spend the day than relaxing with a beer, enjoying some tasty snacks prepared by our amazing kitchen staff and sharing good conversation with friends. 

It was wonderful to see everyone socialising, laughing, and making the most of the beautiful weather together.         

Our residents had a fantastic time celebrating International Day of Dance.

They loved joining in with the belly dancing, and a big thank you to our wonderful Activities Coordinator, Nettie, along with her friends from her dance class, for putting on such a fun and lively performance. They danced in every dining room and down the corridors for as many residents as possible. It truly brought smiles and laughter all around.    

Whilst Notting Hill Carnival was celebrating, we were very busy with our own procession!

Residents dressed up alongside staff to bring a bit of colour, joy and laughter to fellow residents at Bloomfield on Sunday. We had pirates, clowns, mermaids, Hawaiian princesses, butterflies, dancing queens and even a Viking. Some residents even had their faces painted. Residents and staff worked hard to try and reach every room in the home, bringing joy to every corner. With music and singing to boot.     

Our residents had a fantastic afternoon visiting the Newton St Loe Bird of Prey Project, home to over 18 species of magnificent birds of prey and owls.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed watching the incredible flight display, seeing these beautiful birds soar overhead and learning more about their unique characteristics. It was a truly memorable experience, with lots of smiles, laughter, and conversation throughout the day.
The bird of prey project for made us feel so welcome and gave our residents a wonderful afternoon. 

Our residents had a wonderful time celebrating National Cream Tea Day with a delicious afternoon tea.
Everyone enjoyed a selection of teas served with freshly baked scones, clotted cream and jam, making for a lovely traditional treat.

Also, as part of Nutrition and Hydration Month, residents also enjoyed a variety of fruity smoothies, which were a refreshing and healthy treat on such a warm day. It was a fantastic day filled with tasty treats, plenty of hydration, and lots of smiles.

With the hot weather we’ve experienced so far this summer, we have supported residents to keep hydrated in a variety of ways, not just with drinks but with ice lollies, jelly and ice cubes to keep healthy in the hot weather.               

Residents had a wonderful afternoon visiting the beautiful garden in Midsomer Norton on Silver Street. Owners Kevin and Andrew took part in the National Garden Scheme and gave Bloomfield Residents their own private viewing.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed spending time in the lovely surroundings, relaxing in the sunshine, and taking in the stunning flowers and displays. The afternoon was made even more special with tea and delicious homemade cakes, which were enjoyed by all. 

A big thank you to everyone involved for making the visit so welcoming and memorable. It was a fantastic day out and greatly appreciated by our residents.   

At Bloomfield, we kicked off our VE Day celebrations on 7th May with a wonderful afternoon of singing from the D-Day Dollies from Mini Concerts. There wasn’t an empty seat in the Ashway Lounge! Our residents had a brilliant time singing along to classical songs and reminiscing on such a poignant occasion, there were smiles all around. For some of our residents, it was a particularly emotional time.

One resident remembered serving on a Navy ship alongside his colleagues during the war years. It was a touching reminder of the sacrifices and courage shown by that generation. Another remembered being 9 or 10 but not really understanding what it meant but enjoying the street party. One of our gentlemen was in India in the army. He was never deployed to Burma because of VE day. Another recounted the excitement of being 18 and having just met the Polish man serving for Britain whom she would go on to wed and talked about the street parties.

The following day, we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea. A special thank you to our wonderful chefs for the beautiful homemade cakes, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Residents shared memories of past celebrations, and some even remembered the very first VE Day.

The celebrations finished with a fun quiz enjoyed by all!