Kirkburn CourtBarchester Healthcare

Activities at Kirkburn Court Care Home

Here at Kirkburn Court, we aim to facilitate a personalised programme of meaningful activities, which are designed to promote independence, social stimulation and cognitive function. We strive to create a comfortable and safe environment where fun, creativity and individuality are encouraged. We feel it is important for us and residents to place value on yesterday, today and tomorrow – which is why we invest heavily in getting to know residents and learning their life history.

Our inclusive, yet respectful ethos is reflected in the wide range of activities we offer – ranging from larger structured group activities to one-to-one sessions. Our monthly activity programmes are extremely varied, but some of the activities you may expect to find include concerts, crafts, games, exercise sessions, reminiscing and outings. We also have a strong relationship with the local community and often invite external guests into the home, including performers, schools, and choirs.

Read our brochure ‘Life-enriching activities’ for more information about life in our care homes.

Read our brochure

Claire Burden

Activities Coordinator

I began my career with Barchester in December 2017. Having worked within the teaching profession for the preceding 8 years, I feel that I bring a range of transferable skills to the activities team.

I strongly believe that the provision of activities is about so much more than just structured, planned events – capturing and celebrating the little moments in daily life, such as enjoying a chat and a cup of tea together, are equally as important.

Activities, no matter how big or small, should be at the heart of every home and that individuality should be celebrated. In addition, I feel that activities should take a person-centred approach, which is why I enjoy spending time with the residents and learning about their preferences and their history.

My own interests include football, politics, crafting and drinking tea, and I enjoy nothing better than engaging with residents on these topics! I aim to bring energy, a friendly smile and a willing ear to the home each day.

Celebrating life at Kirkburn Court Care Home

Sunshine walks

Jack, Helen and Jen have recently enjoyed a lovely walk round to the nearby Landale Gardens. It was a glorious afternoon as the sun shone down on us. We enjoyed chatting on the way round about all the different streets and we also met a couple of friendly dogs too!

Once in the gardens, we browsed round all the lovely flowers which are all just starting to bloom and then we had a pit stop for a cup of tea!

Jack was also telling us stories of the many happy memories he has of spending time in those gardens as a youngster. It was a lovely afternoon.

Outing to The Dolphin

Some of our residents have recently enjoyed a 'mannies trip out!'

We headed to The Dolphin Café for fish and chips. It is safe to say that lunch was thoroughly enjoyed by all, as not even a chip was left in sight!

We also enjoyed a run round the harbour to see all the boats and watching the hive of activity. It was a lovely trip out.

Donkey visit!

During the month of June, we were delighted to welcome back Jenny's Donkeys for another visit. Our residents absolutely loved meeting Pugh and Stumpy! We witnessed some lovely interactions and moments and several residents suggested that they would like the donkeys to stay here with us!

It was lovely to hear our residents reminiscing about their own animal experiences - some actually had donkeys of their own!

A huge thanks to George, Jenny and Millie for bringing Pugh and Stumpy along to visit - it was a brilliant afternoon and the sun even came out too!

Celebrating 10-years of service!

Our Senior General Manager has received a prestigious 10-Year Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 10 years.

David Garland, said: “I am delighted to celebrate this milestone with all my colleagues. I have greatly enjoyed my time so far here at Kirkburn Court. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all my team members that I have had the honour of working with over the last 10 years. "They have all contributed to making Kirkburn Court the wonderful home that it is.”

Peterhead Prison Museum Trip

In May, Jack, Mary, Nessa and Helen enjoyed a trip out to a local tourist attraction. Following the closure of the old Peterhead Prison in 2013, it has been turned into a museum in recent years, so we thought we would pay it a visit.

We first enjoyed a lovely lunch in their café before making our way round the various parts of the prison. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the old cells, hospital wing and exercise areas. There was much discussion on the way round about how we would not fancy spending a night there - Mary confirmed that the beds were not very comfortable!

It was a fascinating visit, and we still didn’t quite make it round every part - a great excuse to go back! Thanks to all the staff at the prison who were very helpful and made us feel so welcome.

World Cocktail Day

During May, we celebrated World Cocktail Day – and what better way to do that than to make some delicious cocktails and then sample them!

We tried out three different recipes and made a Kirkburn Kolada, a Cranberry & Orange Fizz and a New Year's Sunrise! With our trusty blender and cocktail shaker at the ready, we added together some ingredients and awaited the results. Often the facial expressions gave away our thoughts on each drink - but we think it was the Kirkburn Kolada that came out as the favourite!

The refreshing fruity drinks were certainly welcome in this warm weather! Bottoms Up!

VE Day celebrations

We had a great time during the first week in May as we celebrated the 80th anniversary of VE Day. We spent some time watching the TV coverage as well as looking through various reminiscing materials.

On Thursday the 8th, we held a tea party and took part in various activities, including a wartime hits sing a long and a hotly contested team quiz! We all had a lovely time together.

25-Year Long Service Award

Our maintenance manager has received a prestigious 25-Year Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 25 years. Gary Bannerman started at Barchester in April 2000 and has worked with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years.

David Garland, General Manager of Kirkburn Court said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating 25 years of loyal service with Gary. He has demonstrated his dedication and loyalty to this home and its residents year after year. I speak for all of us here at Kirkburn Court when I say that I’m looking forward to many more years of working with Gary!”

The Final Furlong

In honour of this April’s Grand National - we at Kirkburn decided to host our own 'Kirkburn National'!
With our 'posh' hats and glasses of fizz at the ready, we all joined together to compete in some very tense racing!

We relied on the luck of dice to help our individual horses to make it to the finish line - but there was great concentration involved! We all had a great time engaging in some racing fun!