Activities at Leeming Bar Grange Care Home

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Leeming Bar Grange care home in Leeming Bar were treated to a photographic tour and talk about the era of ocean travel by V&A Dundee Curator, Charlotte Hale.  The presentation forms part of a series of six talks and virtual tours that V&A Dundee is hosting for Barchester Healthcare’s care homes and private hospitals across the UK.

V&A Dundee is Scotland’s design museum, it showcases Scotland’s outstanding design achievements and features world-class exhibitions alongside the permanent Scottish Design Galleries, and a changing programme of commissions, events and activities.  

World Whisky Day invites everyone to try a dram and celebrate the ‘water of life’, taking place annually on the third Saturday in May, this special occasion is celebrated by whisky lovers worldwide.

Whether you’re a die-hard Scots whisky fan, an Irish whisky lover, or you like to mix it up and try something new, World Whisky Day, celebrated this year on May 15th, is the perfect day to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of whisky. It was certainly a day of fun-filled tastings for the staff and residents at Leeming Bar Grange care home in Leeming Bar.

To mark the day, residents had so much fun taking part in a whisky tasting afternoon. From scotch to bourbon, whisky marmalade to whisky fudge; there was something for everyone! Whilst enjoying the array of whisky treats residents checked their knowledge with a whisky themed quiz; learning lots of interesting titbits about the ever popular tipple.

To celebrate National Vegetarian Week, staff and residents at Barchester’s Leeming Bar Grange care home in Leeming Bar were treated to an interactive virtual cookery demo courtesy of chef, Alex Connell, from Vegetarian for Life.

Chef Alex whipped up some tasty, healthy vegetarian snacks in a live, interactive cookery demo.  Much to residents’ delight, Leeming Bar Grange’s Chef Janet Dolan had prepared the same recipes so that residents could try all the dishes. Residents sampled delicious, light and summery veggie dishes including Borlotti bean and dill pate, Greek fritters with Tzatziki and Coronation 'chicken' pastries. All finished off with a sweet and simple but totally yummy banana bread.

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Leeming Bar Grange care home in Leeming Bar were treated to an armchair work out courtesy of the Green Goddess, Diana Moran, and Shackleton’s furniture company, followed by a mindfulness session led by Shackleton’s Emma Raybould.

Diana rose to fame as a glamorous fitness guru on BBC’s Breakfast Time in the 1980’s and has made an outstanding contribution to improving the health and wellbeing of people in the UK. She now brings that experience to Shackletons as their Health and Wellness Adviser.

Shackletons and Diana both celebrate the importance of exercise, a healthy diet and mindfulness, particularly in later living. Diana has been working with Shackletons since 2019 to promote their bespoke seating. She has produced a series of exercise videos extolling the virtues of gentle exercise in a Shackletons chair.

Leeming Bar Grange in Leeming Bar marked the anniversary of VE Day in style by throwing a 1940s afternoon tea party to remember.  The home was decorated in red, white and blue and residents and staff enjoyed a 1940s-inspired virtual musical show from Bluebird Entertainment whilst proudly waving their flags!

Head chef Toni Scott whipped up a delicious selection of freshly-baked biscuits, sandwiches, cakes and pastries for the occasion, all washed down with pots of tea and a celebratory glass of fizz to mark the occasion.

Residents observed the national two minute silence and listened again to Churchill’s iconic speech and an address from the Queen.  They reminisced about their memories of VE Day and watched clips of the celebrations that took place outside Buckingham Palace and all across London.

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Leeming Bar Grange care home in Leeming Bar were treated to an exciting virtual tour of Five Sisters Zoo, hosted by Head of Education, Adam Welsh.

Five Sisters Zoo is a family run zoo with over 160 different animal species from around the world.  Originally a garden centre that helped to rehome unwanted pets, the animal collection grew and grew until the zoo was officially founded in 2005.  Now Five Sisters Zoo is the most visited wildlife attraction in West Lothian.