Celebrating life at Barchester

The garden is bursting into life, the bulbs have broken through, the flowers are blooming, we have seen lots more birds in our delightful woodland garden and residents have been getting creative with making and painting some stunning wind chimes.

Our residents regularly enjoy a baking session with Head Chef Craig. 

The flour comes out, the bowls are ready and the fingers work their magic.

Baking club is a great opportunity to revisit pleasurable activities, to share in the joy, to reminisce and of course to then delight in all the tasty treats that result!

We had a great afternoon yesterday as we celebrated the Mexican festival Día de la Bandera "Flag Day".

Día de la Bandera "Flag Day" is a national holiday in Mexico dedicated to the flag of Mexico and the residents enjoyed decorating the lounge with Mexican Flags whilst the staff dressed up in traditional Mexican outfits.

Our resident Mike took great pleasure in showing pictures of himself back in the late 1950's wearing a Mexican Sombrero and telling us stories of his global travels from his military days.

It was another memorable afternoon here at Bayleaf filled with fun and laughter.

Our monthly quiz night is always so much fun with everyone testing their wits against our quizmaster Godfrey and their fellow team mates. With residents and members of the community coming together to enjoy some delicious refreshments it really is the perfect way to spend the evening.   

We finally saw some sunshine this week and made the most of it by getting out in the garden to enjoy the spring bulbs . It was glorious to be able to dust away the cobwebs and what a difference it makes to our mood just to feel the sun on our face  and see some blue sky . 

The residents and staff  were treated to a truly unique and glamorous experience as they hosted their very own London Fashion Week pop-up shop.

Residents welcomed Anne and Julie from ‘Count down Cares’, who have been bringing fashion to care homes and surrounding communities for over 12 years. Anne and Julie’s passion for style and their devoted commitment to reaching diverse communities shone through as they transformed a section of Elm Bank care home in to a treasure trove of delightful clothes.

Tina, Activities Co-ordinator said, “The residents had a truly wonderful time browsing through the racks of colourful clothes, all within the comfort of their home surroundings. It was lovely to see residents discussing colours, patterns and reminiscing about their own fashion choices throughout their lives. It was not just about the clothes, it was about the joy and the fun residents had, the chance for them to indulge in some personal pampering and self-expression.”

Larisa Bledea, General Manager said: “It is lovely to see everyone together, and celebrating London Fashion Week was important here at the home, and to have Anne and Julie bring the whole shopping experience to Elm Bank was brilliant. The residents had the opportunity to try clothes on and it was great to have family come in to join in.”
 

What a brilliant turnout today for our Healthy Hearts Event! It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces from the local community joining our residents for a day dedicated to heart health. 

We had Seated Exercise with Jo Symons Move Together Manager from Cherwell District Council. We’re not sure what worked harder our muscles or our laughter! Jo had us all "puffing and panting" through some great stretches and lifts. The biggest giggle of the day? Let’s just say a certain hole in Jo’s sock provided some unexpected entertainment! 

A huge thank you to Edward Frape, Senior Healthy Place Shaping Officer from 'Cherwell District Council for visiting and sharing vital information on how Cherwell District Council supports our local neighbours. It’s so important to know what help is available right on our doorstep. Edward left lots of leaflets so please pop in to collect.

Our Registered Nurse stayed busy providing free blood pressure checks, while our CRM Louise Ramage hosted a fascinating discussion on how food impacts our bodies. Did you know walnuts don't just look like the brain, but are amazing for it too? 

We then refuelled with a delicious spread of nutritious smoothies, fresh fruits, honey-drizzled avocado toast, and refreshing flavoured waters. Who knew healthy eating could taste this good?