Activities at Mount Vale Care Home
Our specialist activities staff are committed to organising a mix of activities and events for residents and the local community to get involved in, including trips out to local places of interest in our minibus and visits from PAT dogs, entertainers and musicians. It is important to us that each individual who we support can get as much from these as possible, so we try our best to arrange activities that reflect their interests and capabilities as best as possible, and encourage them to participate in any way they can. We also encourage relatives to join with activities and events as often as they can.
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 Mount Vale Care Home
Gingerbread House Day
Staff and residents at Barchester’s Mount Vale care home in Northallerton love any excuse to get creative so when they found out it was Gingerbread House Day on December 12, they didn’t need any persuading to get cracking!
The staff and residents asked head chef, Danny to whip up a big batch of gingerbread for them and then got busy decorating! They had a fun filled afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed the gingerbread.
General Manager, Helen Lewis said: “We were all so excited when we found out there was a Gingerbread House Day, what a fantastic excuse to spend the day making gorgeous festive decorations. The best thing about it is that, now that we have judged which gingerbread house we like best, we get to eat them all – delicious!”
Magic of the Nutcracker
We experienced the magic of the Nutcracker with a special interactive workshop led by English National Ballet Associate Artists.
Our residents were able to take a magical journey thorough Edwardian London and to learn more about the enchanted Nutcracker characters: Clara, the Mouse King, and her valiant Nutcracker doll.
The session included a chair-based dance workshop, clips of the ballet on stage and a Christmas carol sing-along, truly enjoyed by all.
Christmas Truffle Making at Mount Vale
We had a lovely time joining Paul Hawkins and Steve Wilkes from Unilever for an exciting immersive Christmas experience.
Our residents were welcomed with chocolate treats as Paul and Steve took them on an exciting chocolate truffle making and biscuit decorating journey.
To finish off the Christmas special event, our residents enjoyed a themed quiz and a singalong.
We all had a wonderful time.
Oomph! brings some fun to Mount Vale
Barchester Healthcare has teamed up with Oomph!, an organisation that aspires to improve older people’s quality of life.
The activity sessions are based on a range of themes, from chairobics and chair cheerleading, to ‘Strictly Fun Dancing’ – a class which uses well-known dance moves and popular songs.
Barchester Activities Co-ordinators have been trained by Oomph! in a Level 2 'Exercise Leadership in Care Homes' qualification, which is endorsed by Skills Active – the sector skills council for active leisure and learning. These sessions are designed to help residents build relationships with one another, increase their mobility and enhance mental stimulation.
Regular exercise improves cardio-respiratory and muscular fitness, bone and functional health and reduces the risk of unhappiness and cognitive decline. The Barchester homes taking part in the pilot are already noticing a difference to residents' quality of life, with classes showing a proven increase in levels of social interaction and mental stimulation among those taking part. From the most recent surveys, 100% of residents have stated that the Oomph classes have had a positive effect on their health and happiness.
Virtual Bauble Workshop
We all had a wonderful time joining Jennifer Owen - founder of Goldfinch Floral Studio for a creative floral bauble workshop.
Jennifer transported our residents to the out of the ordinary world of flowers and crafts and demonstrated how to create stunning hand-made baubles filled with dried flowers and grasses.
Our residents enjoyed filling and decorating their own glass baubles and their unique creations will be displayed at the home for everyone to enjoy.
Blenheim Palace Virtual Experience
We experienced the Christmas extravaganza of Blenheim Palace with Social Historian - Antonia Keaney, who took us on a recorded tour around the Christmas sights at the palace this year.
Our residents were able to discover the story of The Nutcracker re-imagined within the palace rooms, each one exquisitely transformed and filled with hidden surprises – from the toymaker’s workshop on a frosty Christmas Eve; through the glistening Land of Snow and onto the candy-cane Kingdom of Sweets adorned with the sweetest of treats and larger-than-life gingerbread men.
Then the residents explored the after-dark illuminated trail in the palace’s picture-perfect gardens. A feast for the senses, as we witnessed glittering tunnels of light, dancing lakeside reflections, trees drenched in jewel-like colour and mesmerising flickering flames in the fire garden.
It was a truly magical experience, enjoyed by all.
