Activities at Spen Court Care Home

Residents and staff dressed to impress, donned their best hats and outfits, studied the form and had their bets at the ready for the 2024 Grand National, which ran on Saturday April 13.

Residents and staff got together to watch the races, and celebrated in style by having their own race and bets with the winners and runners up being presented with a prize. 

Paula General Manager at the home, said: “We’ve had a fantastic time celebrating The Grand National, it is such a great event to watch and we all had fun cheering on the horses and jockeys.  We all had a little flutter between ourselves even though none of us has much of a clue about odds or form!”

To celebrate Easter, staff and residents at Barchester’s Spen Court were treated to a mouth-watering virtual talk and tour of their wonderful chocolate café and factory from Hadyn and Trinity from Harrogate Skills 4 Living, a charity that provides care, support, accommodation and employment for people with learning disabilities and autism. 

Trinity and Hadyn took residents on a fantastic journey through the history of Harrogate Skills 4 Living and how the Harrogate Chocolate Factory and Café social enterprises came about.  They talked residents through the seven stages of the bean to bar chocolate making process and talked about how Harrogate itself and its iconic buildings helped to shape the brand and the packaging of the products.

Resident, Trevor Eager has been a dedicated fan of Bradford City Football for over 75-years.  Trevor had always wanted to secure a signed football keepsake of the club so staff at the home made his wish a reality proving the old adage, it’s never too late.

Trevor has lived at Spen Court for a while and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making his dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to him and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on Trevor’s face when his dream was realised. Staff first found out about Trevor’s dream this year and, ever since then, they have been dedicated to helping him achieve it.

Here at Spen Court we pride ourselves in the delivery of high quality care for older people in need of support in our community whilst supporting our residents and their families the freedom to continue to enjoy their customary lifestyle.

We also recognise that remaining active is a huge part of any individual’s well-being, and our day-to-day activities programme is arranged to suit everyone’s needs and preferences.

We would like to express a special thank you to the Whittaker family for their very kind and thoughtful gift we have received as way of thanks and our heartfelt condolences to you and the family at this time.

We had a brilliant time across our services with Harrogate Skills 4 Living as they took us on a wonderful virtual visit to their Harrogate Chocolate Factory.

Residents were thrilled to discover details about the chocolate-making process and the fascinating journey from bean to bar, all while enjoying some delicious sweet treats.

The Factory aims to employ people with learning disabilities and autism, involving them in all parts of the process, from sorting and roasting the beans to packaging and sales. The experience was truly enjoyed by all who joined this event.

We continue to celebrate a varied life enrichment programme and across our services we linked up with other Barchester care homes and hospitals up and down the country for some interactive Beat the Clock games.  

Our residents truly enjoyed solving word puzzles, conundrums and mathematical problems as part of Barchester’s very own game show series.

Everyone who joined had a fantastic time and enjoyed some friendly competition.