Activities at Spen Court Care Home

Ahead of Armed Forces Day, we were transported back in time for a World War II themed talk and tour of Blenheim Palace, hosted by Antonia Keaney, the Palace’s social historian and author.

Entitled ‘Evacuees and Espionage,’ Antonia’s wartime themed talk focused on how the Marlborough family, estate staff and the Palace itself played a full and energetic part in the war effort.

The talk and tour told the story of how the Palace prepared for the worst, survived the onslaught of 400 boys being evacuated to Blenheim and kept the secrets of MI5.  

It was a lovely experience, enjoyed by all.

Spen Court in Heckmondwike marked the Queen’s official 95th birthday on June 12th in style with a right royal tea party.

The kitchen team whipped up a tasty selection of freshly-baked, pastries and cakes for the occasion, all washed down with pots of tea, orange juice and lemonade.  Residents took part in a variety of royal–themed events including a Royal quiz, old photos, and on the day celebrated with a party. Lots of singing and dancing to war time music.

Sarah Sykes, General Manager at Spen Court said: “Our residents love a party and they love the Queen so they all enjoyed the tea and cakes and watching the parade and the fly-past to mark the Queen’s official birthday.”

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Spen Court care home in Heckmondwike were invited to a virtual tour and talk about the wonders of Hereford Cathedral led by a team of staff and volunteers who look after the magnificent cathedral building.

Hereford is home to one of the oldest cathedrals in England.  The site of the cathedral has been a place of worship since the 8th Century, the date the cathedral was founded is thought to be 696 and religious services have taken place since medieval times. 

Residents were invited to join the team from Hereford Cathedral as they were given a glimpse of the spectacular building and its treasures as they were taken on a tour of the site. From the stunning gardens which lead down to the River Wye, to the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library, the virtual visit shared the history and beauty of the historic building.

Staff and residents at Spen Court were treated to an interactive virtual floristry masterclass courtesy of Master Florist, Michal Kowalski, from Blooming Haus.    Blooming Haus started with a small pop-up shop in Chelsea.  They have since blossomed spectacularly on to the floristry scene as ‘floral engineers’, carving themselves an outstanding reputation as one of the UK’s most innovative floral design studios. The company is the vision of Master Florist, Michal Kowalski and his business partner, Michael Dariane. The pair bring a completely fresh approach to floristry and their ambition to push the boundaries of traditional floristry has laid the foundations of Blooming Haus’ success to date.

Residents at Spen Court enjoy a varied life enrichment programme to keep the mind, body and soul active. Each day there are popular group activities bringing everyone together along with individual Resident centred activities.

Residents enjoyed a fun filled afternoon bubble blowing to see whose bubbles were the biggest! There was a lot of friendly competition in the room.

There were happy scenes at Spen Court in Heckmondwike as hairdressers were finally allowed back into the home.

Just like the rest of the country, residents had been waiting patiently for months to get their hair styled and so they were delighted to be able to book in for a long overdue cut and blow dry.

Sarah Sykes, General Manager commented: “It really has felt like Christmas today, our residents are just so delighted to be able to get a good cut and to feel like themselves again.  It is wonderful to see them all so happy, we have really missed our hairdressers – it is fantastic to be able to welcome them back again.”